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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: scale · racket · band · row · game · track · root · current

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. root — the cause
  3. band — a ring
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. game — a match
  6. current — happening now
  7. row — to paddle
  8. scale — size or range
  9. current — electric
  10. row — a line
  11. track — to keep track
  12. band — a music group
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. root — of a plant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. current — of water
  20. scale — in music
  21. game — wild animals
  22. root — of a word
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. racket — a loud noise

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