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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. root — of a word
  4. can — a tin
  5. field — farmland
  6. bank — for money
  7. can — a tin
  8. bank — for money
  9. root — the cause
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. can — to be able to
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. suit — to fit
  15. cold — not warm
  16. field — for sport
  17. cold — an illness
  18. kid — to tease
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. field — a subject
  22. bank — of a river
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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