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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: land · field · mouse · root · trunk · mug · fork · straw

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. land — a country
  5. mug — a cup
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. field — farmland
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mug — a face
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. land — ground
  18. fork — in a road
  19. land — to come down
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mug — to rob
  22. root — the cause
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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