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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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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 · pit · branch · straw · field · foot · deal · last

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. last — finally
  3. field — farmland
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. root — of a plant
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. field — a subject
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. last — to go on
  14. root — of a word
  15. pit — a hole
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. pit — in a race
  18. foot — a measure
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. field — for sport
  21. last — final
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. deal — to handle
  24. root — the cause

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