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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. root — the cause
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kick — in football
  8. field — farmland
  9. root — of a word
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. current — electric
  13. roll — a cake
  14. current — happening now
  15. field — for sport
  16. current — of water
  17. fall — the season
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. field — a subject
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. fall — to drop
  24. straw — a straw man

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