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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chest — a box
  5. root — the cause
  6. swing — music
  7. field — a subject
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. swing — to play on
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. chest — of your body
  16. field — farmland
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cap — a lid
  19. field — for sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cap — a hat
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. root — of a word
  24. swing — in golf

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