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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. ground — crushed
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — in sport
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. date — the fruit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — a position
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. saw — the tool
  15. root — the cause
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stem — to come from
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ground — the earth
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stem — of a plant

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