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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. field — a subject
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. last — final
  10. field — for sport
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — farmland
  17. roll — a list
  18. root — of a plant
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. root — the cause
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cell — a phone

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