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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. present — a gift
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. net — after costs
  7. root — of a word
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. root — of a plant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. net — for catching
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. present — the time now
  19. bore — to tire
  20. net — in sport
  21. root — the cause
  22. present — there
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fan — to cool the air

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