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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 120 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: cell · track · field · arm · root · file · last · drill

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. drill — a practice
  3. root — of a word
  4. track — a song
  5. last — to go on
  6. root — of a plant
  7. drill — army training
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. field — a subject
  11. track — a path
  12. root — the cause
  13. file — a tool
  14. drill — the tool
  15. field — for sport
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. field — farmland
  18. last — final
  19. cell — a phone
  20. last — finally
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cell — in biology

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