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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.

Words on the sheet
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: chest · mate · tube · roll · root · ball · present · season

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. root — the cause
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. tube — a container
  12. season — of the year
  13. roll — a cake
  14. chest — a box
  15. mate — a friend
  16. tube — the underground
  17. season — in sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chest — of your body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. roll — a list
  23. root — of a plant
  24. present — there

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