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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 116 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: leaves · mate · season · stick · content · ball · root · cold

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. content — the amount
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mate — a friend
  10. season — in sport
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — not warm
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. content — happy
  19. ball — a dance
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ball — a great time
  22. root — the cause
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. leaves — lets stay

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