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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · swing · chip · root · bark · spring · season · fan

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. season — in sport
  4. spring — of water
  5. swing — to play on
  6. spring — the season
  7. bark — to shout
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. chip — to eat
  11. swing — music
  12. root — of a word
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. chip — for betting
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. swing — in golf
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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