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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. drill — army training
  3. prune — to trim
  4. can — a tin
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. spring — the season
  8. root — of a plant
  9. can — a tin
  10. root — the cause
  11. spring — of water
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. prune — to trim
  14. can — to be able to
  15. season — of the year
  16. spring — a coil
  17. drill — the tool
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. drill — a practice
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. season — in sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. temple — a place of worship

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