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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: racket · charge · spring · present · kick · squash · row · root

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spring — of water
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. root — of a plant
  7. spring — a coil
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. row — a line
  11. kick — in football
  12. present — there
  13. root — of a word
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spring — the season
  16. root — the cause
  17. present — the time now
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — to paddle
  20. squash — the sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. present — a gift
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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