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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 116 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: club · field · saw · net · court · staff · root · lean

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. root — the cause
  3. club — for golf
  4. court — of law
  5. net — for catching
  6. staff — employees
  7. field — a subject
  8. court — of a king
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. staff — employees
  11. root — of a plant
  12. club — a group
  13. court — for sport
  14. lean — to bend
  15. field — for sport
  16. saw — the tool
  17. club — for dancing
  18. field — farmland
  19. net — in sport
  20. staff — a stick
  21. root — of a word
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. net — after costs

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