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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.

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: racket · shower · root · field · land · key · bass · fine

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. land — ground
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. key — in music
  6. root — of a word
  7. field — farmland
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bass — the fish
  10. root — the cause
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — low music
  13. root — of a plant
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fine — all right
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. key — for a lock
  21. land — a country
  22. field — for sport
  23. land — to come down
  24. fine — high quality

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