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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: bat · band · tube · foot · root · safe · racket · straw

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. tube — the underground
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. root — of a plant
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. root — of a word
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. root — the cause
  17. tube — a container
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. band — a music group
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. foot — a measure
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bat — the animal
  24. band — a ring

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