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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. root — of a plant
  2. swing — music
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wind — moving air
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pop — soda
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. tube — a container
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. swing — to play on
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. branch — a division
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pop — music
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pop — to visit
  21. root — of a word
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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