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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 120 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: coach · current · track · march · lie · fall · root · file

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. track — a song
  3. fall — to drop
  4. current — electric
  5. march — the month
  6. root — of a word
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. root — of a plant
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fall — the season
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. track — to keep track
  14. march — the month
  15. track — a path
  16. file — a document
  17. root — the cause
  18. march — music
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. current — of water
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. lie — to recline
  23. current — happening now
  24. file — a 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