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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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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. track — a song
  3. root — of a word
  4. craft — boats
  5. root — the cause
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. file — a tool
  9. track — a path
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. craft — a skill
  12. court — of a king
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. file — a document
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — soda
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pop — music
  19. court — of law
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pop — to visit
  22. file — a line of people
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — for sport

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