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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: season · arm · root · nail · rush · mine · fine · track

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fine — high quality
  3. track — to keep track
  4. root — of a plant
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fine — all right
  8. mine — for digging
  9. season — of the year
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rush — hurry
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. track — a song
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. root — the cause
  22. season — in sport
  23. root — of a word
  24. track — a path

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