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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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wound — an injury
  3. root — the cause
  4. club — a group
  5. root — of a plant
  6. field — a subject
  7. file — a document
  8. field — for sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. club — for dancing
  11. file — a tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. prune — to trim
  14. net — in sport
  15. prune — to trim
  16. club — for golf
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. net — after costs
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. field — farmland

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