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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: pitcher · hide · jam · hand · mouse · season · cell · root

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cell — a phone
  4. season — in sport
  5. root — of a word
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. root — of a plant
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hand — help
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. season — of the year
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — a tight spot

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