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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 · capital · tear · content · bore · branch · snap · lie

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. track — to keep track
  6. capital — money
  7. snap — to click
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bore — to tire
  14. track — a song
  15. tear — to rip
  16. track — a path
  17. tear — from crying
  18. content — happy
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bore — to drill
  21. branch — a division
  22. tear — from crying
  23. capital — a city
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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