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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 116 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: cap · ground · pound · bat · field · fork · plane · root

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ground — crushed
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. field — a subject
  8. fork — in a road
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. field — for sport
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. field — farmland
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. root — the cause
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bat — the animal
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bat — for baseball

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