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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 120 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: cue · bear · field · tear · root · march · pitch · fork

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. cue — a hint
  5. march — the month
  6. field — for sport
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cue — a signal
  10. march — music
  11. root — of a word
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cue — for pool
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. march — the month
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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