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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bulb — for light
  5. present — a gift
  6. root — of a plant
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bulb — for light
  12. track — a song
  13. present — there
  14. root — of a word
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. track — to keep track
  17. content — happy
  18. present — the time now
  19. root — the cause
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. content — the amount
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. content — videos and posts

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