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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: content · stand · cabinet · wind · trunk · field · object · root

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stand — to bear
  3. root — of a plant
  4. object — a thing
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. object — to protest
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. root — of a word
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. root — the cause
  15. content — the amount
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. object — an aim
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. content — happy

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