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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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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: ball · leaves · mine · roll · stick · root · kid · racket

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ball — a great time
  3. kid — child
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. kid — to tease
  6. ball — a dance
  7. roll — a list
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. roll — a cake
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. root — the cause
  17. mine — for digging
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. root — of a plant
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. leaves — to go away

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