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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: tear · fall · patient · dip · can · branch · pound · track

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. pound — a weight
  6. can — a tin
  7. tear — to rip
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. branch — a division
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. can — to be able to
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. track — a song
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. can — a tin
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. track — to keep track
  19. dip — to sink
  20. track — a path
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fall — to drop
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. dip — to dunk

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