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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. field — for sport
  4. root — the cause
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. club — a group
  8. bound — tied together
  9. club — for golf
  10. shower — to wash
  11. ground — crushed
  12. shower — rain
  13. kick — in football
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. roll — a cake
  18. field — a subject
  19. ground — the earth
  20. roll — a list
  21. club — for dancing
  22. ground — a position
  23. field — farmland
  24. kick — a thrill

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