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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 116 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. charge — electricity
  3. prune — to trim
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. root — of a plant
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. club — for dancing
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stand — to bear
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. root — the cause
  15. chair — a leader
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. charge — a price
  19. row — a line
  20. club — a group
  21. charge — in control
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. root — of a word

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