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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: mug · root · mate · suit · rush · stem · racket · season

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. root — of a word
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rush — hurry
  8. season — of the year
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stem — to come from
  13. suit — in cards
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. suit — clothes
  16. season — in sport
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. suit — to fit
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mate — a friend
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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