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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · net · fan · scale · racket · sharp · spring · root

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. root — of a plant
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. net — in sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. scale — size or range
  7. root — the cause
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. net — for catching
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spring — a coil
  15. scale — in music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spring — of water
  20. net — after costs
  21. root — of a word
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. sharp — clever

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