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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: staff · fan · season · squash · roll · object · pop · root

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. root — of a word
  3. season — of the year
  4. staff — employees
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. pop — music
  8. root — of a plant
  9. object — to protest
  10. staff — employees
  11. season — in sport
  12. pop — soda
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. squash — the sport
  18. root — the cause
  19. roll — a list
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. object — a thing
  22. squash — to crush
  23. object — an aim
  24. pop — to visit

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