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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. spring — of water
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. season — in sport
  17. rock — music
  18. pit — a hole
  19. season — of the year
  20. fork — in a road
  21. rock — a stone
  22. spring — the season
  23. pit — in a race
  24. root — the cause

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