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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · staff · root · bear · field · bowl · drill · clip

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. staff — a stick
  3. court — for sport
  4. staff — employees
  5. root — of a word
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bear — the animal
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bear — the animal
  10. root — the cause
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. drill — the tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. drill — army training
  16. court — of a king
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. field — a subject
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. field — farmland
  21. clip — a video
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. staff — employees
  24. clip — for paper

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