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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: rush · track · mine · fan · content · root · sharp · perch

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. perch — the fish
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rush — hurry
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. root — of a word
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — clever
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. content — the amount
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. track — a song
  21. root — the cause
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. track — a path
  24. content — happy

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