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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: track · dip · pop · wind · fine · plane · ground · root

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pop — music
  6. fine — high quality
  7. pop — soda
  8. root — of a word
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fine — all right
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. dip — to sink
  15. track — a song
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wind — moving air
  20. track — to keep track
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. wind — moving air
  24. plane — in geometry

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