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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. track — a path
  3. field — a subject
  4. charge — a price
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. track — to keep track
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. field — farmland
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. field — for sport
  14. track — a song
  15. charge — electricity
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. charge — in control
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. root — of a word
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. root — the cause

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