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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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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 · rule · season · saw · stem · trunk · mate · kid

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rule — a law
  8. root — the cause
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. root — of a plant
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. root — of a word
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rule — government
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. saw — the tool
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. season — of the year
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. rule — to rule out

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