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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: cell · cue · bat · squash · root · deal · leaves · field

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. field — farmland
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. root — of a plant
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. root — of a word
  11. field — for sport
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. field — a subject
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cue — a signal
  16. squash — the sport
  17. root — the cause
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cell — in biology
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cell — a phone

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