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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. root — of a plant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. staff — employees
  12. craft — a skill
  13. pit — a hole
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. row — a line
  18. root — the cause
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. game — a match
  22. craft — boats
  23. pit — in a race
  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