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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. root — of a plant
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. branch — a division
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — the cause
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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