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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: cell · chest · charge · nail · root · band · squash · season

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. squash — to crush
  3. root — of a word
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chest — a box
  7. band — a music group
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cell — a phone
  10. season — of the year
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. season — in sport
  13. band — a ring
  14. root — of a plant
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. charge — in control
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. charge — a price
  19. root — the cause
  20. charge — electricity
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. season — to add flavour

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