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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 120 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: net · season · patient · root · stem · field · safe · row

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. net — after costs
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. net — in sport
  6. stem — to come from
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. net — for catching
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. season — of the year
  16. row — a line
  17. field — a subject
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. root — of a word
  21. season — in sport
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. patient — a sick person

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