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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. season — in sport
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. current — electric
  6. current — happening now
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. root — of a plant
  9. season — of the year
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. present — the time now
  13. track — a song
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. wake — a trail
  16. root — of a word
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. present — a gift
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. current — of water
  21. root — the cause
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. present — there
  24. bear — to put up with

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