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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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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 · leaves · swing · tear · net · cue · root · bat

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cue — a signal
  6. swing — to play on
  7. root — of a word
  8. net — after costs
  9. bat — the animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. net — for catching
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. swing — music
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — for pool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. net — in sport
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. root — the cause

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