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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: tube · track · foot · branch · club · face · bass · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. track — a song
  4. face — to point toward
  5. foot — a measure
  6. face — to confront
  7. tube — the underground
  8. track — to keep track
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. branch — a division
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. club — a group
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. tube — a container
  21. bass — low music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. track — a path
  24. foot — the bottom

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