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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. field — a subject
  3. last — to go on
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bank — for money
  10. root — the cause
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cell — a phone
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ball — a dance
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. root — of a plant
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bank — of a river
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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