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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. root — the cause
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. field — farmland
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wind — moving air
  8. root — of a word
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. court — for sport
  17. cap — of ice
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. court — of a king
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. court — of law
  23. field — for sport
  24. rush — hurry

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