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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: bay · bowl · present · wind · clip · branch · cap · track

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. branch — a division
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. clip — a video
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cap — a lid
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. present — there
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. track — a path
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. present — the time now
  19. cap — a hat
  20. track — a song
  21. wind — moving air
  22. present — a gift
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bowl — to roll

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