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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: content · racket · swing · perch · mine · root · saw · nail

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. root — the cause
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. content — the amount
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. root — of a word
  15. mine — for digging
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. root — of a plant
  19. swing — to play on
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. content — happy
  23. swing — music
  24. racket — a loud noise

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