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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. field — a subject
  3. season — in sport
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. last — finally
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. last — final
  13. season — of the year
  14. root — of a plant
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. last — to go on
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. capital — a city
  21. capital — money
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  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