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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 116 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 · hand · cell · bound · patient · track · net · ball

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cell — in biology
  3. net — after costs
  4. bound — tied together
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bound — obliged
  7. root — the cause
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — a song
  10. ball — a great time
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hand — help
  14. bound — certain
  15. cell — a phone
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ball — a dance
  18. net — in sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. root — of a plant
  21. root — of a word
  22. hand — in cards
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. cell — in a prison

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