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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. root — of a plant
  3. track — to keep track
  4. suit — to fit
  5. tube — a container
  6. bark — to shout
  7. game — wild animals
  8. suit — in cards
  9. mug — a face
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. root — of a word
  15. game — a match
  16. rash — a series
  17. root — the cause
  18. mug — to rob
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. suit — clothes
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. track — a song
  24. mug — a cup

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