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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. hand — help
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bank — for money
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. season — of the year
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stem — to come from
  13. season — in sport
  14. root — of a plant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bank — of a river
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bank — for money
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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