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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: patient · safe · racket · field · root · branch · kid · capital

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. field — farmland
  6. branch — a division
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. field — for sport
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. kid — child
  12. field — a subject
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. capital — a city
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. capital — money
  23. kid — to tease
  24. racket — for tennis

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