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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: root · pop · rock · row · field · season · toast · bat

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. row — a line
  4. pop — soda
  5. row — to paddle
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. season — of the year
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rock — music
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. toast — bread
  15. season — in sport
  16. root — the cause
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. rock — a stone
  19. root — of a word
  20. bat — the animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — music

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