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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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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: root · season · toast · arm · kid · game · saw · bulb

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. season — of the year
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. root — of a word
  7. saw — the tool
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. saw — the tool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. season — in sport
  17. game — a match
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bulb — for light
  22. toast — bread
  23. bulb — for light
  24. arm — part of the body

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