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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. season — in sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. root — of a plant
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. craft — a skill
  8. squash — the sport
  9. root — of a word
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. band — a ring
  13. root — the cause
  14. bank — of a river
  15. season — of the year
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. band — a music group
  18. craft — boats
  19. game — wild animals
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bank — for money
  22. game — a match
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cell — a phone

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