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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: suit · root · season · roll · coach · chest · wind · prune

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. suit — to fit
  3. season — of the year
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. root — the cause
  6. suit — clothes
  7. chest — of your body
  8. root — of a word
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. root — of a plant
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. suit — in cards
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chest — of your body
  17. roll — a list
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. season — in sport
  21. wind — moving air
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. chest — a box

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