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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · track · root · mine · swing · bulb · straw · land

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. root — of a plant
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. land — ground
  9. swing — music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a word
  13. land — to come down
  14. track — a song
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bulb — for light
  17. land — a country
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. swing — in golf
  21. track — a path
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. straw — a straw man

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