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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: mine · track · wake · chip · cue · patient · bulb · branch

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. track — to keep track
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bulb — for light
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. track — a song
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wake — a trail
  16. branch — a division
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mine — for digging
  19. track — a path
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cue — for pool
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bulb — for light

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