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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stem — to come from
  4. season — in sport
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. season — of the year
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. game — wild animals
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fork — in a road
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. game — a match
  21. bore — to tire
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stem — a stem cell

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