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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. root — of a plant
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. hand — help
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rock — music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wax — to grow
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. net — for catching

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