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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: content · dip · track · branch · drill · bass · stand · bat

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bass — the fish
  4. track — to keep track
  5. drill — army training
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. track — a path
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. content — happy
  13. bass — low music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. branch — a division
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bat — the animal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. track — a song
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. stand — for spectators

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