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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: track · foot · racket · branch · craft · shower · file · game

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. file — a tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. shower — to wash
  7. game — a match
  8. craft — a skill
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — a path
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. game — wild animals
  14. track — to keep track
  15. file — a line of people
  16. track — a song
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. file — a document
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — a measure
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. craft — boats
  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