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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.

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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. root — of a plant
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tear — to rip
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. tear — from crying
  9. root — the cause
  10. wound — an injury
  11. staff — a stick
  12. staff — employees
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rest — what's left
  20. tear — from crying
  21. root — of a word
  22. wound — an injury
  23. staff — employees
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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