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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. root — of a plant
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rash — hasty
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. root — the cause
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. root — of a word
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rash — a series
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. file — a tool
  21. season — in sport
  22. file — a line of people
  23. squash — to crush
  24. file — a document

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