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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: last · wind · bay · racket · staff · root

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. last — to go on
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wind — moving air
  8. last — finally
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. last — final
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. staff — employees
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wind — moving air
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wind — to turn a key

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