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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: root · mug · cap · tube · field · perch · mate · club

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mug — to rob
  3. tube — the underground
  4. root — of a plant
  5. club — a group
  6. root — of a word
  7. cap — a lid
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mate — a friend
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. club — for dancing
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — of ice
  14. mug — a cup
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. mate — a partner
  18. root — the cause
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. club — for golf
  21. mug — a face
  22. tube — a container
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cap — a hat

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