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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: charge · root · hide · field · branch · spell · trunk · track

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. field — a subject
  3. track — a path
  4. root — of a word
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. track — a song
  9. root — the cause
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. field — for sport
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. charge — in control
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. track — to keep track
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. root — of a plant
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spell — magic
  22. field — farmland
  23. charge — electricity
  24. branch — a division

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