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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. rash — hasty
  5. charge — in control
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. charge — a price
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. season — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. prune — to trim
  15. root — the cause
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wind — moving air
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. kick — in football
  23. season — of the year
  24. charge — electricity

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