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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: leaves · season · scale · hand · wound · pitch · tube · root

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. root — of a plant
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. scale — size or range
  8. season — in sport
  9. hand — help
  10. root — the cause
  11. tube — a container
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. scale — in music
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. root — of a word
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. tube — the underground
  18. season — of the year
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitch — completely
  24. hand — in cards

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