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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: chip · track · bowl · mine · root · bore · pound · object

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. mine — for digging
  3. track — a song
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bore — to drill
  7. object — an aim
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. object — to protest
  10. bore — to tire
  11. root — of a word
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. object — a thing
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chip — for betting
  19. root — of a plant
  20. chip — to eat
  21. track — a path
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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