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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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. field — for sport
  8. root — the cause
  9. season — of the year
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a music group
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. root — of a plant
  14. spring — the season
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. spring — of water
  17. field — a subject
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fall — the season
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. band — a ring
  23. season — in sport
  24. field — farmland

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