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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: swing · land · deal · root · foot · field · tear · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. field — for sport
  3. root — the cause
  4. tear — to rip
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. swing — in golf
  8. root — of a plant
  9. swing — music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. deal — to handle
  12. root — of a word
  13. field — farmland
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. land — a country
  17. field — a subject
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. swing — to play on
  21. land — ground
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. land — to come down

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