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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: tube · root · hand · stick · racket · track · sharp · bat

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. track — a song
  5. root — of a word
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. hand — help
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. tube — a container
  12. root — the cause
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. hand — in cards
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. root — of a plant
  24. tube — the underground

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