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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.

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: fall · file · spell · track · stick · spring · root · temple

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. file — a tool
  3. track — a song
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — letters
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fall — the season
  10. track — a path
  11. file — a document
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. file — a line of people
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. root — of a plant

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