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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: cell · racket · season · field · saw · squash · mate · root

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. season — in sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. season — of the year
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. squash — the sport
  10. root — the cause
  11. mate — to breed
  12. field — a subject
  13. cell — in biology
  14. root — of a plant
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. root — of a word
  17. cell — a phone
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mate — a partner
  20. field — farmland
  21. squash — to crush
  22. mate — a friend
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. racket — for tennis

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