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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. track — to keep track
  3. root — of a word
  4. ground — a position
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. branch — a division
  9. track — a song
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rock — a stone
  12. root — the cause
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. track — a path
  15. ground — the earth
  16. field — a subject
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pass — a permit
  20. field — for sport
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rock — music
  23. field — farmland
  24. root — of a plant

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