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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: field · rule · stick · key · mouse · land · root · bowl

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. key — the most important part
  3. root — of a word
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. field — for sport
  6. key — in music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. land — to come down
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. land — a country
  14. key — for a lock
  15. root — the cause
  16. rule — government
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. rule — a law
  19. root — of a plant
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. land — ground
  24. field — a subject

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