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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 116 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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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: lean · wake · stick · field · dip · ground · rest · root

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. ground — crushed
  4. lean — to bend
  5. dip — to sink
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ground — the earth
  9. field — for sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. root — of a plant
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. root — the cause
  15. rest — a break
  16. lean — thin
  17. rest — what's left
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. root — of a word
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. field — a subject
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ground — a position
  24. field — farmland

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