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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. swing — to play on
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — the cause
  5. net — for catching
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. net — after costs
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. net — in sport
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. swing — music
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. root — of a plant
  18. hand — in cards
  19. branch — a division
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. swing — in golf
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. hand — help
  24. plane — a tool

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