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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: wound · bulb · last · can · nail · season · root · chair

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. can — a tin
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. can — to be able to
  8. last — to go on
  9. bulb — for light
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. last — final
  13. root — of a word
  14. bulb — for light
  15. season — in sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. root — the cause
  20. chair — a leader
  21. can — a tin
  22. root — of a plant
  23. last — finally
  24. season — of the year

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