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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. row — to paddle
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. row — a line
  6. firm — steady
  7. field — a subject
  8. root — of a word
  9. swing — music
  10. field — farmland
  11. current — of water
  12. root — the cause
  13. current — happening now
  14. field — for sport
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. firm — a company
  17. root — of a plant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. current — electric
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pitcher — a jug

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