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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hand — help
  4. net — after costs
  5. craft — boats
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. net — for catching
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. root — the cause
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. season — of the year
  15. stem — to come from
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. press — newspapers
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. season — in sport
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. press — a publisher
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. press — to push

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