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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: root · season · club · leaves · chair · mouse · band · sharp

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. club — for dancing
  11. season — of the year
  12. band — a music group
  13. season — in sport
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. band — a ring
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chair — a leader

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