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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
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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 · date · pass · cell · lean · rush · cap · root

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. cap — of ice
  5. field — for sport
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. date — the fruit
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. root — of a plant
  12. lean — to bend
  13. field — farmland
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cap — a lid
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. field — a subject
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cell — in biology

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