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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 116 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 · branch · cap · bat · wave · content · mine · deal

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. track — a path
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. branch — a division
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bat — the animal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a song
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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