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

Word bank: lean · stand · root · racket · bay · kick · hand · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. lean — thin
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. hand — in cards
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hand — help
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. root — the cause
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. club — a group
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stand — to bear
  22. kick — in football
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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