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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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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: perch · patient · press · track · wind · root · chip · temple

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. perch — the fish
  3. root — of a word
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. track — a path
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chip — for betting
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. press — a publisher
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wind — moving air
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. track — to keep track
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. press — newspapers
  18. root — of a plant
  19. press — to push
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. root — the cause
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chip — to eat
  24. wind — moving air

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