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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: hand · saw · field · root · bat · rash · stand · can

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. hand — help
  3. rash — a series
  4. field — a subject
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. saw — the tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — in cards
  9. root — of a plant
  10. can — a tin
  11. root — the cause
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. stand — to bear
  14. saw — the tool
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bat — the animal
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. field — farmland
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. root — of a word
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bat — in an idiom

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