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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 116 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: chair · mark · root · rush · leaves · mate · fine · season

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. season — in sport
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. season — of the year
  6. root — of a word
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mark — a trace
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mate — to breed
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fine — high quality
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mark — a grade
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fine — all right
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rush — hurry
  24. root — the cause

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