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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 116 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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. field — for sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. field — a subject
  7. mug — a face
  8. root — of a plant
  9. staff — employees
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. field — farmland
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mug — a cup
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. staff — a stick
  16. root — the cause
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. staff — employees
  24. mug — to rob

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