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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: bear · fall · mark · track · root · dip · leaves · pound

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fall — the season
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. root — the cause
  8. fall — to drop
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mark — a grade
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pound — a weight
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. track — a song
  20. fall — to drop
  21. root — of a word
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. track — a path
  24. root — of a plant

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