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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: wind · stand · coach · field · shower · root · saw · calf

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stand — to bear
  3. field — a subject
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. root — of a word
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. shower — rain
  12. field — farmland
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. root — of a plant
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. root — the cause
  18. field — for sport
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. saw — the tool
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stand — for spectators

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