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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 116 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: rock · wax · saw · bat · root · wind · racket · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. root — of a word
  4. wind — moving air
  5. saw — the tool
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bat — the animal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. root — the cause
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rock — a stone
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rock — music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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