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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. track — a song
  3. cold — an illness
  4. tear — from crying
  5. root — the cause
  6. tear — to rip
  7. field — a subject
  8. cold — not warm
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. root — of a word
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. field — farmland
  14. branch — a division
  15. field — for sport
  16. root — of a plant
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. track — a path
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. tear — from crying
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. track — to keep track

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