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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: chest · present · field · last · root · toast · stem · season

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. root — of a plant
  3. season — in sport
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. last — final
  9. field — for sport
  10. toast — bread
  11. last — to go on
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. root — of a word
  14. chest — of your body
  15. root — the cause
  16. present — there
  17. last — finally
  18. chest — of your body
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. present — the time now
  21. chest — a box
  22. present — a gift
  23. stem — to come from
  24. field — farmland

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