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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. root — of a plant
  4. current — happening now
  5. swing — music
  6. root — the cause
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. swing — to play on
  14. spell — letters
  15. swing — in golf
  16. root — of a word
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. spell — magic
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stand — to bear
  22. spell — a short time
  23. current — electric
  24. wind — to turn a key

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