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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
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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: court · land · squash · coach · season · root · can · nail

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. land — ground
  3. season — of the year
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. root — of a word
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. land — to come down
  9. root — of a plant
  10. season — in sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. land — a country
  13. court — of law
  14. can — a tin
  15. squash — the sport
  16. court — for sport
  17. can — a tin
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. can — to be able to
  23. squash — to crush
  24. root — the cause

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