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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. roll — a cake
  3. root — the cause
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. plane — a tool
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. field — a subject
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. root — of a plant
  12. roll — a list
  13. capital — money
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. field — farmland
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — a city
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. field — for sport

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