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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. clip — a video
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. vault — a safe
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. root — of a word
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. root — of a plant
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. foot — a measure
  13. clip — to cut
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. clip — for paper
  16. root — the cause
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. jam — in traffic

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