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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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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: wave · racket · row · season · pit · root · hide · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. root — of a word
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. root — the cause
  6. row — a line
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. field — farmland
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. root — of a plant
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. row — to paddle
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hide — animal skin

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