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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: wake · bank · root · rest · field · pitcher · chip · season

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. field — farmland
  4. season — in sport
  5. field — for sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. chip — to eat
  10. field — a subject
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. season — of the year
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. rest — a break
  24. bank — for money

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