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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bank — of a river
  3. scale — in music
  4. content — the amount
  5. current — of water
  6. club — for dancing
  7. root — the cause
  8. bank — for money
  9. scale — size or range
  10. current — electric
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. track — to keep track
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. track — a path
  15. club — a group
  16. kid — child
  17. club — for golf
  18. content — happy
  19. kid — to tease
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bank — for money
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. track — a song
  24. current — happening now

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