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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 124 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. track — to keep track
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. mark — a grade
  6. band — a music group
  7. stock — shares
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — a hat
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. band — a ring
  13. root — of a plant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. spell — a short time
  16. track — a song
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. track — a path
  20. stock — goods
  21. cap — of ice
  22. spell — letters
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stock — a soup base

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