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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. staff — employees
  4. mark — a grade
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. root — the cause
  7. drill — army training
  8. staff — employees
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mark — a trace
  11. staff — a stick
  12. present — there
  13. field — farmland
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. field — a subject
  18. present — the time now
  19. field — for sport
  20. drill — a practice
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hand — help
  23. present — a gift
  24. drill — the tool

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