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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 120 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: squash · last · kick · board · rush · field · bark · root

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. squash — to crush
  3. kick — in football
  4. root — of a word
  5. field — a subject
  6. squash — the sport
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. board — a committee
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. board — to get on
  15. root — the cause
  16. field — for sport
  17. bark — to shout
  18. last — finally
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. field — farmland
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — final
  24. board — a flat piece

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