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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. root — of a word
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. root — of a plant
  9. lean — to bend
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tube — a container
  12. wound — an injury
  13. root — the cause
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. lean — thin
  16. tube — the underground
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. sharp — clever
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wound — an injury

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