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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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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 · root · spring · net · chest · deal · field · press

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. root — the cause
  3. press — newspapers
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — a subject
  7. press — a publisher
  8. season — of the year
  9. net — in sport
  10. spring — the season
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. net — for catching
  13. spring — of water
  14. season — in sport
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — of a word
  17. field — for sport
  18. chest — a box
  19. net — after costs
  20. deal — to handle
  21. chest — of your body
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. spring — a coil
  24. chest — of your body

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