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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. root — the cause
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. track — a path
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. game — a match
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. track — a song
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. root — of a word
  22. scale — in music
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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