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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fall — the season
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. root — of a word
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. present — there
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — music
  14. present — the time now
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. land — a country
  19. present — a gift
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. root — the cause
  22. fall — to drop
  23. root — of a plant
  24. swing — music

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