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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. land — ground
  4. season — of the year
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. tube — a container
  7. row — to paddle
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. prune — to trim
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rock — a stone
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. land — to come down
  15. row — a line
  16. prune — to trim
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. tube — the underground
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rock — music
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. season — in sport
  24. land — a country

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