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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 120 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. root — of a word
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bass — low music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. root — of a plant
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. field — farmland
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. root — the cause
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. trunk — of a tree

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