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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: snap · cue · root · track · wind · field · sharp · rush

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. root — the cause
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cue — a signal
  8. track — a song
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rush — hurry
  13. field — a subject
  14. root — of a plant
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to click
  17. track — to keep track
  18. root — of a word
  19. field — for sport
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cue — for pool
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. field — farmland
  24. sharp — with an edge

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