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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · stem · staff · bowl · jam · mate · root · field

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. staff — a stick
  3. field — a subject
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. stem — to come from
  7. mate — to breed
  8. field — farmland
  9. mate — a partner
  10. staff — employees
  11. season — of the year
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. root — of a plant
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. staff — employees
  16. root — the cause
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. mate — a friend
  21. field — for sport
  22. season — in sport
  23. root — of a word
  24. stem — a stem cell

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