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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. root — of a plant
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. swing — in golf
  5. root — the cause
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. fork — in a road
  11. swing — to play on
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. root — of a word
  16. bulb — for light
  17. swing — music
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fork — a garden 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