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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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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: racket · root · bear · staff · club · wind · content · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. staff — employees
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. root — of a word
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. staff — a stick
  13. content — happy
  14. wind — moving air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. content — the amount
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. wind — moving air
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bear — to put up with
  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