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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: rash · racket · sharp · root · spring · wound · ball · stand

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. root — of a word
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. ball — a dance
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rash — a series
  11. root — the cause
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. spring — of water
  15. sharp — clever
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. ball — a great time
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. spring — the season
  21. wound — an injury
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. spring — a coil

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