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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · root · stick · field · land · wake

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. land — a country
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. field — for sport
  14. root — the cause
  15. field — a subject
  16. root — of a word
  17. key — for a lock
  18. 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