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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. root — of a plant
  3. swing — in golf
  4. root — of a word
  5. object — a thing
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. prune — to trim
  12. row — to paddle
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. row — a line
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. root — the cause
  19. cell — in biology
  20. object — an aim
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cell — a phone
  24. object — to protest

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