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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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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 · fork · stand · ground · racket · kick · field · wake

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. field — farmland
  4. root — of a plant
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. ground — crushed
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. ground — the earth
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wake — a trail
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a word
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. fork — in a road
  22. ground — a position
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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