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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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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 · racket · rock · fall · pop · hide · last

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. root — the cause
  3. pop — music
  4. last — final
  5. fall — the season
  6. pop — to visit
  7. root — of a word
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pop — soda
  14. rock — music
  15. ground — a position
  16. rock — a stone
  17. last — to go on
  18. root — of a plant
  19. last — finally
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. racket — for tennis

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