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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 120 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: safe · mate · season · leaves · degree · wake · wind · root

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mate — to breed
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wake — a trail
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mate — a partner
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. degree — temperature
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. season — in sport
  19. degree — an amount
  20. root — the cause
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. degree — from a university
  23. root — of a word
  24. leaves — to go away

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