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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
468
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: saw · squash · stem · root · cold · net · game · leaves

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. root — of a plant
  9. saw — the tool
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stem — to come from
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. root — the cause
  18. game — a match
  19. net — in sport
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. game — wild animals
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — not warm

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