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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · hide · can · wound · root · field · land · kid

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wound — an injury
  4. root — of a plant
  5. last — final
  6. field — farmland
  7. land — to come down
  8. wound — an injury
  9. land — a country
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. last — finally
  13. can — a tin
  14. root — the cause
  15. can — to be able to
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — for sport
  18. land — ground
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. can — a tin
  23. last — to go on
  24. kid — child

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