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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 116 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: root · key · hand · field · lean · file · spell · calf

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. root — the cause
  3. hand — in cards
  4. spell — magic
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. file — a tool
  9. field — farmland
  10. key — in music
  11. spell — a short time
  12. field — for sport
  13. hand — help
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. spell — letters
  17. field — a subject
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. key — the most important part
  22. file — a document
  23. key — for a lock
  24. file — a line of people

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