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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. clip — for paper
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. face — part of the head
  6. row — to paddle
  7. lean — to bend
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. row — a line
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. field — a subject
  13. staff — employees
  14. face — to confront
  15. root — of a word
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. face — to point toward
  19. root — the cause
  20. lean — thin
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — a video
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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