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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: land · branch · mine · root · key · foot · object · track

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. land — a country
  3. key — in music
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. track — a song
  7. object — to protest
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. root — the cause
  11. branch — a division
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. foot — a measure
  14. track — a path
  15. land — to come down
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. root — of a plant
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. root — of a word
  20. land — ground
  21. mine — for digging
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — for a lock
  24. object — a thing

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