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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. root — of a plant
  5. season — of the year
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bulb — for light
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bulb — for light
  12. root — the cause
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. root — of a word
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. season — to add flavour

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