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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. root — of a word
  3. swing — music
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. snap — to click
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pop — to visit
  8. staff — employees
  9. drill — army training
  10. pop — music
  11. staff — a stick
  12. stem — to come from
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pop — soda
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — the cause
  20. swing — to play on
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. staff — employees

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