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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. chair — a leader
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. root — the cause
  6. deal — to handle
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. content — the amount
  9. root — of a plant
  10. band — a music group
  11. land — ground
  12. swing — music
  13. root — of a word
  14. content — happy
  15. land — to come down
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. swing — to play on
  18. land — a country
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stem — to come from
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. band — a ring

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