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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: season · game · can · stem · root · rash · tear · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. tear — from crying
  7. game — a match
  8. can — a tin
  9. last — final
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. root — of a word
  13. can — a tin
  14. last — finally
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. can — to be able to
  17. game — wild animals
  18. season — in sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. root — of a plant
  21. tear — to rip
  22. stem — to come from
  23. root — the cause
  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