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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. root — of a plant
  4. hand — help
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bass — low music
  7. can — to be able to
  8. file — a tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rock — music
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bass — the fish
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. file — a document
  18. rock — a stone
  19. root — the cause
  20. track — a path
  21. root — of a word
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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