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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. root — of a plant
  3. fine — all right
  4. root — the cause
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. root — of a word
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. track — a path
  9. chip — to eat
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fine — high quality
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. branch — a division
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chip — for betting
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. track — a song
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. track — to keep track

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