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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: bat · root · hand · face · staff · racket · board · wound

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. wound — an injury
  3. root — of a plant
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. hand — help
  6. root — the cause
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a committee
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. face — part of the head
  18. staff — employees
  19. root — of a word
  20. bat — the animal
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. hand — in cards
  24. staff — employees

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