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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: hand · field · cell · bark · stick · root · roll · rock

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. rock — a stone
  3. root — of a word
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. roll — a cake
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. bark — to shout
  13. roll — a list
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. field — for sport
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rock — music
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. root — the cause
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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