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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: track · root · mug · band · cold · rule · file · perch

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. root — the cause
  3. mug — to rob
  4. band — a ring
  5. cold — an illness
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rule — a law
  12. track — a song
  13. root — of a word
  14. cold — not warm
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. file — a tool
  17. mug — a face
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rule — government
  20. root — of a plant
  21. track — a path
  22. file — a document
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mug — a cup

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