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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: file · pit · season · ground · mate · root · field · stock

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. field — farmland
  4. stock — goods
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pit — a hole
  7. file — a tool
  8. season — in sport
  9. mate — a partner
  10. file — a document
  11. root — the cause
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. root — of a word
  16. mate — a friend
  17. season — of the year
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stock — shares
  20. field — a subject
  21. pit — in a race
  22. field — for sport
  23. ground — the earth
  24. file — a line of people

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