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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. root — of a word
  4. fall — the season
  5. root — of a plant
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rest — a break
  11. fall — to drop
  12. root — the cause
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. deal — to handle
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bank — for money
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. season — in sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bank — for money

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