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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: stick · field · trunk · toast · root · ground · wound · fan

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. field — for sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. root — of a plant
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. field — a subject
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. field — farmland
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. toast — bread
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ground — crushed
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. root — of a word
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. wound — an injury
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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