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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. branch — a division
  4. root — of a plant
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pop — to visit
  7. field — a subject
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. root — of a word
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fine — all right
  12. row — to paddle
  13. root — the cause
  14. pop — music
  15. fine — high quality
  16. field — for sport
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. pop — soda
  24. branch — of a bank

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