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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pound — a weight
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. field — a subject
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. root — of a plant
  9. stand — to bear
  10. root — the cause
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. field — for sport
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. field — farmland
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. march — the month
  21. bark — to shout
  22. march — music
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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