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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 124 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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. root — the cause
  5. spring — a coil
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. spring — of water
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wake — a trail
  13. season — of the year
  14. root — of a word
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. field — for sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spring — the season
  22. field — farmland
  23. season — in sport
  24. field — a subject

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