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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.

Make a worksheet

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: can · field · rash · safe · straw · lash · ground · root

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. field — for sport
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rash — hasty
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. can — to be able to
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. rash — a series
  14. root — of a plant
  15. ground — a position
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. root — of a word
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. root — the cause
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ground — crushed

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