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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: dip · net · court · rest · bulb · tear · season · root

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. season — of the year
  6. bulb — for light
  7. net — after costs
  8. rest — what's left
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. court — of a king
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rest — a break
  13. root — of a plant
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. root — the cause
  16. tear — from crying
  17. season — in sport
  18. dip — to sink
  19. net — in sport
  20. court — of law
  21. root — of a word
  22. court — for sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. tear — to rip

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