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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: pit · wind · land · last · can · squash · season · root

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. root — the cause
  3. root — of a plant
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. land — ground
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. can — to be able to
  12. season — in sport
  13. pit — a hole
  14. last — to go on
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. squash — to crush
  18. last — final
  19. root — of a word
  20. pit — in a race
  21. land — a country
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. last — finally

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