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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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Word bank
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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: ground · root · nail · field · shower · leaves · lie · foot

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ground — crushed
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. field — farmland
  6. root — of a plant
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. lie — to recline
  10. root — of a word
  11. shower — to wash
  12. field — for sport
  13. ground — a position
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. field — a subject
  18. shower — rain
  19. root — the cause
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. foot — a measure
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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