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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · cold · staff · track · racket · fan · stem · row

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — a line
  7. staff — employees
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. row — to paddle
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. track — a path
  13. cold — not warm
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. staff — a stick
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. staff — employees
  21. stem — to come from
  22. root — of a plant
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cold — an illness

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