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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. root — of a plant
  3. field — a subject
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. root — the cause
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. net — after costs
  11. fine — high quality
  12. field — farmland
  13. cell — a phone
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. field — for sport
  24. root — of a word

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