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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: lean · prune · field · stand · bark · cold · lie · root

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cold — not warm
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cold — an illness
  6. lean — to bend
  7. stand — to bear
  8. field — a subject
  9. lean — thin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. root — of a word
  12. lie — to recline
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. root — the cause
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — farmland
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. field — for sport
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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