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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.

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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: racket · row · bowl · clip · board · wax · bank · root

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. row — a line
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. root — of a word
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wax — to grow
  11. row — to paddle
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. root — the cause
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. board — to get on
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — a video
  19. bank — for money
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bank — for money
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. clip — for paper

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