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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: season · staff · wind · perch · root · key · bear · chair

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. root — the cause
  3. bear — the animal
  4. season — of the year
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. staff — employees
  8. key — for a lock
  9. root — of a plant
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. key — the most important part
  13. staff — employees
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wind — moving air
  22. key — in music
  23. root — of a word
  24. bear — the animal

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