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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. stand — to bear
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. field — for sport
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. field — a subject
  10. root — the cause
  11. row — a line
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. row — to paddle
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. field — farmland
  17. root — of a word
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. race — a contest
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stand — on your feet

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