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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · field · coach · plane · mark · club · kid · sharp

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. club — for golf
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. root — the cause
  5. sharp — clever
  6. root — of a word
  7. club — for dancing
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. field — a subject
  13. mark — a grade
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. field — for sport
  16. mark — a trace
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. kid — child
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. root — of a plant
  21. plane — a tool
  22. club — a group
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. plane — in geometry

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