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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: mate · charge · net · game · rush · wake · coach · root

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mate — to breed
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mate — a partner
  6. net — for catching
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. root — of a word
  9. charge — electricity
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. charge — in control
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rush — hurry
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wake — a trail
  21. charge — a price
  22. game — wild animals
  23. root — the cause
  24. wake — before a funeral

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