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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: root · fan · cold · season · rock · dip · wound · last

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. wound — an injury
  3. season — in sport
  4. rock — a stone
  5. last — finally
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — of the year
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. root — of a word
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. dip — to sink
  13. cold — an illness
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cold — not warm
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rock — music
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. root — the cause
  24. fan — a supporter

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