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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: foot · chest · straw · root · prune · object · field · calf

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. root — of a word
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. object — an aim
  7. chest — of your body
  8. field — farmland
  9. root — of a plant
  10. object — to protest
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. prune — to trim
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. chest — a box
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. field — a subject
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. root — the cause
  24. object — a thing

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