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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. club — a group
  6. row — to paddle
  7. swing — in golf
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. swing — music
  10. root — of a word
  11. rush — hurry
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mine — for digging
  17. root — the cause
  18. row — a line
  19. swing — to play on
  20. degree — from a university
  21. club — for golf
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. club — for dancing

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