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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. tube — the underground
  3. field — farmland
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bound — certain
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. court — of law
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. tube — a container
  16. field — for sport
  17. court — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bound — tied together
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bound — obliged

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