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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. track — to keep track
  3. net — in sport
  4. file — a line of people
  5. net — after costs
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. file — a document
  8. capital — a city
  9. root — of a plant
  10. track — a path
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mug — a cup
  13. capital — money
  14. file — a tool
  15. net — for catching
  16. root — of a word
  17. mug — a face
  18. root — the cause
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. prune — to trim
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. mug — to rob
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. track — a song

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