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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. field — farmland
  3. root — of a plant
  4. mate — to breed
  5. object — to protest
  6. stand — to bear
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. swing — music
  9. chip — for betting
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mate — a friend
  12. object — an aim
  13. field — for sport
  14. root — the cause
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. mate — a partner
  22. field — a subject
  23. swing — to play on
  24. object — a thing

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