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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: cold · racket · track · rash · land · root · board · fork

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — the cause
  3. land — ground
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. root — of a plant
  8. land — a country
  9. track — to keep track
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. track — a path
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. board — to get on
  16. track — a song
  17. fork — in a road
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rash — hasty
  20. board — a committee
  21. cold — an illness
  22. land — to come down
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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