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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: craft · present · fall · bowl · season · stem · content · root

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. season — in sport
  3. content — happy
  4. present — there
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — of a plant
  7. present — a gift
  8. content — the amount
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. root — the cause
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. present — the time now
  22. season — of the year
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. craft — boats

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