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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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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: tear · root · stand · cabinet · court · mate · field · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. court — for sport
  3. root — the cause
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — a break
  11. mate — a partner
  12. stand — to bear
  13. field — a subject
  14. court — of a king
  15. mate — to breed
  16. root — of a word
  17. field — farmland
  18. court — of law
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. rest — what's left
  21. root — of a plant
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. field — for sport
  24. cabinet — ministers

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