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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: fine · tear · root · field · jam · leaves · cold · racket

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. tear — to rip
  4. root — of a word
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. tear — from crying
  7. root — the cause
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cold — not warm
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. root — of a plant
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. field — farmland
  15. tear — from crying
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. field — for sport
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cold — an illness
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. leaves — of a tree

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