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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: pass · root · wake · pit · net · field · hand · can

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pit — in a race
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. root — the cause
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. field — for sport
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. root — of a plant
  12. net — in sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — a trail
  15. can — to be able to
  16. net — for catching
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. net — after costs
  20. can — a tin
  21. root — of a word
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. hand — help

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