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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cap — a hat
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. root — of a plant
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cap — of ice
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. content — happy
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bear — the animal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. face — part of the head
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. face — to confront
  17. cap — a lid
  18. face — to point toward
  19. content — the amount
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. root — of a word
  23. prune — to trim
  24. root — the cause

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