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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. root — of a word
  3. tube — a container
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. season — in sport
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — of the year
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. root — of a plant
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — a thing
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. root — the cause
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. object — an aim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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