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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: bat · track · roll · root · date · perch · bass · wax

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wax — to grow
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. roll — a list
  19. track — a song
  20. date — the fruit
  21. root — the cause
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bass — the fish
  24. roll — a cake

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