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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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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. net — in sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. net — for catching
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. can — a tin
  10. object — an aim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. net — after costs
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. root — of a word
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. root — the cause
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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