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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 120 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. band — a ring
  3. swing — in golf
  4. root — of a word
  5. fork — in a road
  6. root — of a plant
  7. suit — clothes
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. band — a music group
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. swing — to play on
  15. suit — to fit
  16. clip — for paper
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. swing — music
  24. root — the cause

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