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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: racket · stand · arm · leaves · root · kid · last · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. root — of a plant
  11. last — final
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. root — of a word
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. kid — child
  19. last — to go on
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. last — finally
  23. stand — to bear
  24. root — the cause

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