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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 120 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: fall · racket · charge · bat · prune · perch · root · wind

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. charge — a price
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wind — moving air
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wind — moving air
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. prune — to trim
  17. root — the cause
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. perch — the fish
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. charge — electricity
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. root — of a word

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