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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · current · pound · kick · tear · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. root — of a plant
  3. tear — to rip
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. current — electric
  11. tear — from crying
  12. track — a song
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. root — of a word
  15. current — happening now
  16. current — of water
  17. track — a path
  18. root — the cause

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