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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 116 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. staff — employees
  3. root — of a plant
  4. staff — employees
  5. court — of a king
  6. season — of the year
  7. band — a ring
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. root — the cause
  10. season — in sport
  11. row — a line
  12. band — a music group
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. court — for sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. staff — a stick
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. court — of law

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