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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: root · track · dip · field · roll · spell · cabinet · racket

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. spell — letters
  3. field — farmland
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. roll — a cake
  11. track — a song
  12. spell — a short time
  13. root — of a word
  14. roll — a list
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. spell — magic
  17. root — the cause
  18. dip — to sink
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. track — to keep track
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cabinet — ministers

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