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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: cell · root · track · bass · bore · snap · mine · rash

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. 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. mine — an explosive
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bass — low music
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. snap — to click
  12. root — of a plant
  13. track — a path
  14. rash — a series
  15. track — a song
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cell — in biology
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cell — a phone
  22. root — of a word
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. 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