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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: bat · rest · track · wax · cap · date · stick · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. track — a song
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. date — the fruit
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rest — what's left
  11. track — a path
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wax — to grow
  18. rest — a break
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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