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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wind — moving air
  3. root — the cause
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wind — moving air
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bat — the animal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mate — a partner
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. plane — a tool
  16. spring — the season
  17. mate — to breed
  18. root — of a plant
  19. spring — of water
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mate — a friend
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. leaves — of a tree

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