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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. race — the arms race
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. root — the cause
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stand — to bear
  8. row — to paddle
  9. swing — in golf
  10. race — a contest
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. spring — of water
  13. swing — to play on
  14. row — a line
  15. race — humankind
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. swing — music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cold — an illness
  21. spring — the season
  22. rest — a break
  23. root — of a word
  24. cold — not warm

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