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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. current — electric
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. root — of a word
  6. ground — crushed
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. ground — a position
  10. current — of water
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. face — to confront
  13. wind — moving air
  14. root — the cause
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. current — happening now
  24. field — a subject

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