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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: rest · game · racket · track · root · bulb · bat · prune

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. prune — to trim
  3. root — the cause
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bat — the animal
  8. root — of a word
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rest — what's left
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rest — a break
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. track — to keep track
  17. game — a match
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rest — what's left
  20. prune — to trim
  21. root — of a plant
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. racket — a loud noise

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