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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. net — after costs
  4. can — a tin
  5. dip — to sink
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. net — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stem — to come from
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. root — the cause
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. net — for catching
  21. season — in sport
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. can — a tin

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