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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. key — the most important part
  3. track — a path
  4. current — of water
  5. track — a song
  6. rash — a series
  7. key — for a lock
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rash — hasty
  10. current — happening now
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. root — of a word
  13. track — to keep track
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. root — the cause
  16. current — electric
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. key — in music

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