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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. root — the cause
  6. band — a music group
  7. prune — to trim
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. band — a ring
  10. lean — to bend
  11. spring — a coil
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. net — in sport
  14. spring — the season
  15. lean — thin
  16. root — of a plant
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. net — after costs
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spring — of water
  21. net — for catching
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. root — of a word
  24. pit — a hole

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