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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: field · wound · patient · straw · root · stick · content · wave

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — of a plant
  4. field — a subject
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. root — the cause
  8. content — the amount
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. content — happy
  20. wound — an injury
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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