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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: root · leaves · sharp · track · straw · spell · mug · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. sharp — clever
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mug — to rob
  10. spell — magic
  11. root — of a plant
  12. spell — letters
  13. file — a document
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — a face
  16. track — to keep track
  17. spell — a short time
  18. file — a line of people
  19. track — a song
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. track — a path
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. leaves — lets stay

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