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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: content · branch · row · leaves · track · patient · band · dip

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. branch — a division
  3. band — a ring
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. band — a music group
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. track — to keep track
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. row — to paddle
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. content — the amount
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. row — a line
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. content — happy
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. dip — to sink
  24. track — a path

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