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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: press · can · field · net · root · season · row · rash

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. field — for sport
  3. press — to push
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rash — a series
  8. field — a subject
  9. net — after costs
  10. can — to be able to
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. press — newspapers
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. root — the cause
  16. field — farmland
  17. row — to paddle
  18. can — a tin
  19. net — in sport
  20. rash — hasty
  21. net — for catching
  22. can — a tin
  23. row — a line
  24. press — a publisher

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