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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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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: cue · field · key · lean · fall · root · bear · mine

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. field — for sport
  3. lean — thin
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. field — a subject
  7. fall — to drop
  8. key — the most important part
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. fall — the season
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mine — for digging
  17. key — for a lock
  18. field — farmland
  19. key — in music
  20. cue — for pool
  21. root — the cause
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fall — to drop

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