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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.

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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: object · net · root · pitcher · wound · wake · season · stem

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. season — of the year
  3. object — a thing
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. root — of a word
  9. net — in sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. wake — a trail
  12. season — in sport
  13. object — an aim
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. root — of a plant
  22. root — the cause
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pitcher — a jug

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