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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: chest · root · land · club · fan · squash · track · season

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — of the year
  3. chest — of your body
  4. squash — the sport
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. root — of a plant
  8. track — to keep track
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. land — to come down
  11. club — for dancing
  12. squash — to crush
  13. root — of a word
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. club — a group
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chest — a box
  18. land — a country
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. root — the cause
  21. club — for golf
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. land — ground

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