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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. root — of a plant
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. net — in sport
  9. branch — a division
  10. swing — music
  11. band — a music group
  12. swing — to play on
  13. tube — a container
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. root — of a word
  17. net — after costs
  18. row — to paddle
  19. net — for catching
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. root — the cause
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. band — a ring
  24. tube — the underground

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