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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: pass · foot · cell · season · march · calf · mate · root

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. mate — to breed
  3. root — of a plant
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. season — of the year
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. march — the month
  13. mate — a partner
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. foot — a measure
  16. cell — in biology
  17. root — the cause
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. season — in sport
  22. march — the month
  23. mate — a friend
  24. march — music

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