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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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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: track · spring · nail · land · branch · trunk · face · dip

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. land — a country
  3. track — a song
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. spring — of water
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. branch — a division
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. face — to point toward
  11. dip — to sink
  12. spring — the season
  13. face — to confront
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. spring — a coil
  19. face — part of the head
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a path
  24. nail — on a finger

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