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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 120 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: can · track · foot · scale · capital · suit · branch · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. can — to be able to
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. suit — to fit
  7. foot — a measure
  8. can — a tin
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. capital — money
  13. suit — in cards
  14. branch — a division
  15. can — a tin
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — a city
  20. scale — in music
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. scale — size or range
  23. suit — clothes
  24. track — a path

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