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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. track — a path
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. content — happy
  7. track — a song
  8. craft — boats
  9. root — of a plant
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. swing — to play on
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. root — of a word
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. content — the amount
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fan — a supporter
  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