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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wound — an injury
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cap — of ice
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. scale — in music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. cap — a lid
  18. press — newspapers
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cap — a hat
  24. racket — for tennis

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