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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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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 · straw · mouse · racket · field · root · cabinet · lie

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cue — a hint
  6. root — the cause
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. field — for sport
  9. cue — a signal
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cue — for pool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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