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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · rock · bound · root · field · object · chest · saw

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. root — the cause
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rock — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. bound — obliged
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. object — an aim
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bound — certain
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bound — tied together
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. object — a thing
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. field — for sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. field — farmland
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. object — to protest
  24. saw — the tool

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