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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: rush · root · field · kid · pass · cold · wave · sharp

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. root — the cause
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. sharp — clever
  10. field — a subject
  11. kid — child
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. root — of a word
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cold — not warm
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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