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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: straw · hide · field · root · leaves · scale · ground · wind

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. scale — in music
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ground — a position
  7. root — of a word
  8. ground — crushed
  9. field — a subject
  10. root — of a plant
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. field — for sport
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. root — the cause
  22. ground — the earth
  23. field — farmland
  24. leaves — lets stay

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