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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.

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: root · ground · ball · season · racket · wax · bulb · safe

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a dance
  5. root — the cause
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bulb — for light
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. season — in sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — a position
  14. root — of a word
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. ball — a great time
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. root — of a plant
  24. season — of the year

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