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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: tear · pit · saw · stock · season · root · squash · safe

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. squash — to crush
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. root — of a plant
  7. squash — the sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stock — shares
  12. saw — the tool
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. stock — goods
  15. root — of a word
  16. pit — a hole
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pit — in a race
  19. root — the cause
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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