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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: tear · current · field · present · leaves · root · ground · sharp

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. field — farmland
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ground — the earth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. ground — a position
  8. current — electric
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. root — of a word
  14. present — the time now
  15. tear — to rip
  16. root — the cause
  17. tear — from crying
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. current — of water
  20. root — of a plant
  21. field — for sport
  22. ground — crushed
  23. field — a subject
  24. current — happening now

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