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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. root — of a word
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. capital — money
  9. drill — army training
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bass — low music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bass — the fish
  14. root — the cause
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rash — hasty
  21. prune — to trim
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. capital — a city
  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