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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. can — a tin
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a plant
  7. rash — hasty
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rock — music
  10. can — to be able to
  11. season — of the year
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. season — in sport
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. can — a tin
  19. root — of a word
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rock — a stone
  24. hand — in cards

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