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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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468
Word bank
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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. stem — to come from
  6. tube — the underground
  7. root — the cause
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chair — a leader
  11. club — for dancing
  12. root — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pass — a permit
  15. kid — child
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. root — of a word
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. club — for golf
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. racket — for tennis

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