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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: fall · track · fork · wake · mate · cell · coach · branch

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mate — a partner
  9. cell — a phone
  10. mate — to breed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mate — a friend
  15. branch — a division
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fork — to eat with

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