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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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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: tear · track · nail · root · band · bulb · game · branch

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. tear — from crying
  6. track — a song
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — from crying
  10. track — a path
  11. branch — a division
  12. root — the cause
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. tear — to rip
  16. root — of a plant
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. track — to keep track
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a match
  23. root — of a word
  24. game — a kind of play

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