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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. root — of a word
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. field — farmland
  4. club — for dancing
  5. row — a line
  6. club — for golf
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bore — to drill
  9. saw — the tool
  10. track — a path
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. root — of a plant
  13. field — a subject
  14. bore — to tire
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. saw — the tool
  18. root — the cause
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. object — to protest
  22. club — a group
  23. field — for sport
  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