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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. root — of a word
  5. present — a gift
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. root — the cause
  10. present — there
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. branch — a division
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. snap — to click
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. root — of a plant
  21. track — to keep track
  22. present — the time now
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. track — a path

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