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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: cap · staff · root · field · suit · bear · march · lash

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. suit — in cards
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. staff — employees
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. root — of a plant
  8. staff — employees
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bear — the animal
  11. staff — a stick
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. field — farmland
  15. root — the cause
  16. field — for sport
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. suit — clothes
  19. cap — of ice
  20. root — of a word
  21. march — the month
  22. suit — to fit
  23. field — a subject
  24. bear — to put up with

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