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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: rock · hand · bore · fan · last · track · straw · root

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. root — of a plant
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. track — a path
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. track — a song
  21. rock — a stone
  22. last — to go on
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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