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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: last · track · bark · chip · root · scale · land · lean

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lean — thin
  3. land — ground
  4. land — a country
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — to shout
  7. scale — in music
  8. root — of a plant
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lean — to bend
  11. track — a song
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. root — of a word
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. land — to come down
  17. last — to go on
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. root — the cause
  22. last — finally
  23. chip — for betting
  24. last — final

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