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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.

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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: leaves · mine · pound · field · root · ground · bay · key

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pound — a weight
  3. key — the most important part
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. ground — the earth
  6. field — a subject
  7. key — in music
  8. field — for sport
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ground — a position
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. field — farmland
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. root — the cause
  21. key — for a lock
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. ground — crushed
  24. root — of a word

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