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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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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: prune · court · racket · stock · arm · leaves · root · chair

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. court — for sport
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. chair — a leader
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. court — of a king
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. court — of law
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. root — the cause
  23. stock — shares
  24. racket — a loud noise

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