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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. field — for sport
  5. root — of a word
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. press — a publisher
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. root — the cause
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. root — of a plant
  16. press — to push
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pit — in a race
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. dip — to sink
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lash — to lash out

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