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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: bear · date · root · season · cold · lie · hand · staff

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. root — the cause
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. staff — a stick
  6. root — of a word
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. season — in sport
  10. staff — employees
  11. date — the fruit
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cold — an illness
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. root — of a plant
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. hand — help
  21. bear — the animal
  22. season — of the year
  23. staff — employees
  24. bear — the animal

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