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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. field — farmland
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cap — a hat
  6. staff — employees
  7. drill — a practice
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. field — a subject
  13. root — the cause
  14. cap — of ice
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cap — a lid
  17. staff — a stick
  18. prune — to trim
  19. staff — employees
  20. drill — the tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. drill — army training

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