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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. track — to keep track
  6. row — a line
  7. content — the amount
  8. cue — a hint
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. track — a path
  11. content — happy
  12. cue — for pool
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. cue — a signal
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. face — to confront
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. track — a song
  24. row — to paddle

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