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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. squash — the sport
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. root — the cause
  6. capital — a city
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. swing — in golf
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. root — of a plant
  17. swing — music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. present — a gift
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. capital — money
  22. perch — the fish
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. swing — to play on

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