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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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Word bank
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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: track · patient · rash · root · racket · stock · bark · capital

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. root — the cause
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. capital — a city
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. rash — a series
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. track — to keep track
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — a song
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stock — shares
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rash — hasty
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. capital — money
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. root — of a word
  23. stock — goods
  24. patient — a sick person

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