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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: wake · saw · toast · rush · date · chair · root · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. root — of a plant
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. date — the fruit
  12. season — in sport
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. season — of the year
  15. chair — a leader
  16. toast — bread
  17. root — the cause
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. root — of a word
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rush — hurry

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