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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: root · ruler · chest · rush · pitcher · spell · saw · season

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. season — of the year
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. root — the cause
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. spell — letters
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. spell — a short time
  22. root — of a plant
  23. spell — magic
  24. season — in sport

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