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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. rest — a break
  5. root — the cause
  6. field — for sport
  7. spring — the season
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. present — there
  11. rest — what's left
  12. root — of a word
  13. wound — an injury
  14. firm — a company
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mate — a friend
  17. root — of a plant
  18. spring — of water
  19. wound — an injury
  20. present — a gift
  21. firm — steady
  22. present — the time now
  23. firm — decided
  24. spring — a coil

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