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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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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. row — to paddle
  6. plane — a tool
  7. season — of the year
  8. root — of a word
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. net — in sport
  11. row — a line
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. net — after costs
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. cell — in biology
  20. root — the cause
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. net — for catching
  23. root — of a plant
  24. season — in sport

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