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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 120 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: deal · foot · root · season · saw · ground · key · rash

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. key — for a lock
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ground — a position
  6. foot — a measure
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. ground — the earth
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. key — the most important part
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. deal — to handle
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. ground — crushed
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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