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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. shower — to wash
  5. swing — music
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wake — a trail
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. branch — a division
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mark — a grade
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. shower — rain
  18. saw — the tool
  19. swing — in golf
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. root — the cause
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wake — before a funeral

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