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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: face · branch · clip · pass · mug · bank · track · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. track — a song
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mug — a face
  6. branch — a division
  7. mug — to rob
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. face — to confront
  10. bank — for money
  11. face — part of the head
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. clip — a video
  14. rule — a law
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bank — for money
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. track — a path
  22. face — to point toward
  23. mug — a cup
  24. track — to keep track

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