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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. root — the cause
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. root — of a word
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wake — a trail
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. ground — a position
  13. spring — the season
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bound — obliged
  16. ground — the earth
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. spring — a coil
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. spring — of water
  24. bound — certain

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