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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: straw · land · staff · root · pound · season · squash · lie

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. staff — employees
  3. squash — to crush
  4. staff — employees
  5. root — of a word
  6. land — ground
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. land — to come down
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. staff — a stick
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. squash — the sport
  22. land — a country
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. pound — a weight

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