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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — farmland
  5. ground — crushed
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. root — the cause
  8. field — for sport
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ground — a position
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — magic
  18. field — a subject
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. season — of the year
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ground — the earth
  23. root — of a word
  24. spell — letters

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