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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 · mine · leaves · content · mark · branch · fan · calf

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. track — a song
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. mark — a trace
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. content — happy
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. branch — a division

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