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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. root — of a plant
  3. track — a song
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bass — low music
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. track — to keep track
  10. drill — the tool
  11. root — the cause
  12. drill — a practice
  13. field — for sport
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. drill — army training
  17. root — of a word
  18. clip — a video
  19. shower — to wash
  20. track — a path
  21. field — a subject
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. field — farmland

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