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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 120 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: calf · wound · field · pass · root · season · bark · stem

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. bark — to shout
  9. root — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. root — the cause
  12. wound — an injury
  13. field — for sport
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. field — farmland
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. season — of the year
  19. field — a subject
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pass — a permit
  24. stem — a stem cell

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