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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.

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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: stem · clip · season · bore · bulb · squash · root · rock

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. squash — to crush
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. season — in sport
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. season — of the year
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. bore — to drill
  21. root — the cause
  22. clip — a video
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. clip — for paper

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