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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. root — the cause
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fall — the season
  8. last — to go on
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. last — final
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. root — of a word
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. last — finally
  24. bowl — to roll

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