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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. date — the fruit
  3. craft — boats
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. swing — music
  7. root — of a plant
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. craft — a skill
  10. pop — soda
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wound — an injury
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pop — to visit
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wound — an injury
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. root — of a word
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. root — the cause
  24. pop — music

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