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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: file · land · pass · stem · root · last · field · toast

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. file — a document
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. last — final
  9. stem — to come from
  10. field — for sport
  11. pass — a permit
  12. toast — bread
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. field — farmland
  18. last — finally
  19. field — a subject
  20. root — the cause
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. last — to go on
  24. land — a country

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