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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: ball · foot · squash · fan · net · lean · root · season

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. foot — a measure
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lean — thin
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. net — after costs
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. net — in sport
  13. lean — to bend
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. root — the cause
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. squash — to crush
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. net — for catching
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — of a word

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