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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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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: bank · vault · fine · net · squash · spell · season · root

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. spell — letters
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. squash — the sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. squash — to crush
  10. vault — a safe
  11. net — after costs
  12. root — of a word
  13. bank — for money
  14. net — for catching
  15. bank — for money
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — magic
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. season — in sport
  22. bank — of a river
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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