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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: track · tube · key · ground · root · land · stand · hand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. key — for a lock
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. hand — in cards
  8. key — in music
  9. track — a path
  10. track — a song
  11. land — to come down
  12. track — to keep track
  13. land — a country
  14. key — the most important part
  15. hand — help
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. ground — the earth
  21. land — ground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. root — of a plant
  24. tube — a container

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