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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 · pop · leaves · cell · roll · hand · lean · root

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pop — music
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — the cause
  5. roll — a list
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pop — soda
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lean — to bend
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. field — farmland
  18. pop — to visit
  19. lean — thin
  20. field — for sport
  21. hand — in cards
  22. root — of a word
  23. field — a subject
  24. leaves — to go away

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