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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: game · net · calf · root · bore · squash · field · date

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. net — for catching
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. field — farmland
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bore — to drill
  11. net — after costs
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bore — to tire
  14. game — wild animals
  15. field — for sport
  16. root — the cause
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. game — a match
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. net — in sport
  22. root — of a word
  23. squash — the sport
  24. date — on the calendar

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