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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. root — of a word
  10. court — of law
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. court — of a king
  18. root — of a plant
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. court — for sport
  23. root — the cause
  24. branch — a division

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