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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: branch · toast · row · mark · cell · track · wound · bear

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bear — the animal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. cell — in biology
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. mark — a trace
  15. toast — bread
  16. row — a line
  17. track — a song
  18. bear — the animal
  19. branch — a division
  20. cell — a phone
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. track — a path
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. branch — of a bank

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com