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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. root — of a word
  3. suit — clothes
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a face
  8. suit — to fit
  9. root — of a plant
  10. net — after costs
  11. pound — a weight
  12. mug — a cup
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hand — in cards
  15. root — the cause
  16. suit — in cards
  17. net — in sport
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. stem — to come from
  22. hand — help
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. net — for catching

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