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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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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 · content · race · track · rest · patient · bear · chest

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. track — a path
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chest — of your body
  5. root — of a word
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. content — happy
  11. race — humankind
  12. chest — a box
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rest — what's left
  16. race — a contest
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. content — the amount
  19. chest — of your body
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rest — a break
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — the animal
  24. track — a song

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