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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bank — of a river
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. season — of the year
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. hand — help
  9. staff — employees
  10. root — the cause
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bank — for money
  14. season — in sport
  15. bank — for money
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. ground — crushed
  18. staff — employees
  19. ground — the earth
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. root — of a word
  22. hand — in cards
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. staff — a stick

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