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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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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: foot · field · bowl · file · root · stick · lean · arm

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. root — of a word
  3. root — the cause
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. lean — thin
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. file — a document
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. field — a subject
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. file — a tool
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. field — farmland
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. lean — to bend
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. field — for sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. foot — a measure
  23. file — a line of people
  24. lean — to rest against

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