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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: chest · leaves · dip · march · fan · root · track · branch

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — a path
  5. root — of a word
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — music
  9. dip — to sink
  10. branch — a division
  11. track — a song
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. root — of a plant
  18. march — the month
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chest — of your body
  22. march — the month
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. root — the cause

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