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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mate — a partner
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. spring — a coil
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. spring — of water
  10. hand — help
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mate — to breed
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. root — the cause
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spring — the season
  22. season — of the year
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mate — a friend

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