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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 120 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: content · row · chest · root · pop · season · bear · net

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. net — for catching
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bear — the animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. root — the cause
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. net — in sport
  17. content — happy
  18. root — of a word
  19. season — of the year
  20. net — after costs
  21. root — of a plant
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. season — in sport
  24. content — the amount

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