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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 120 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: wind · sharp · root · straw · season · field · arm · rock

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. field — farmland
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. season — in sport
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. season — of the year
  11. root — the cause
  12. rock — a stone
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wind — moving air
  16. root — of a plant
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. field — a subject
  19. root — of a word
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rock — music
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. sharp — clever

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