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

Word bank: field · bowl · bat · rock · straw · rash · root · stick

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. rash — a series
  3. bat — the animal
  4. field — farmland
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. field — a subject
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. root — of a word
  10. field — for sport
  11. rock — music
  12. root — the cause
  13. rock — a stone
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bat — for baseball

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