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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.

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: cap · pit · racket · land · root · branch · spell · staff

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. spell — letters
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. cap — of ice
  7. root — of a word
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cap — a lid
  12. branch — a division
  13. root — of a plant
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cap — a hat
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. root — the cause
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. staff — employees
  22. land — to come down
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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