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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · root · field · wake · hide · stem · file · cabinet

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. root — the cause
  5. net — after costs
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. file — a tool
  12. stem — to come from
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. root — of a word
  16. file — a line of people
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wake — a trail
  21. file — a document
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. field — a subject

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