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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 124 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: trunk · face · dip · track · bore · spring · root · court

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. spring — a coil
  4. root — the cause
  5. dip — to sink
  6. face — part of the head
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. root — of a word
  9. spring — of water
  10. court — of a king
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bore — to tire
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. face — to point toward
  15. spring — the season
  16. court — for sport
  17. root — of a plant
  18. track — a song
  19. court — of law
  20. track — a path
  21. face — to confront
  22. bore — to drill
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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