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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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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: field · bark · root · current · straw · foot · cabinet · fall

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. field — a subject
  3. current — electric
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. root — the cause
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. current — of water
  11. field — for sport
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fall — the season
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bark — to shout
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. fall — to drop
  19. current — happening now
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. foot — a measure
  23. field — farmland
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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