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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stem · perch · race · club · date · swing · root · key

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. club — for golf
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. date — the fruit
  5. key — the most important part
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. swing — in golf
  8. root — of a word
  9. swing — to play on
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. club — for dancing
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. race — the arms race
  15. key — for a lock
  16. key — in music
  17. swing — music
  18. root — the cause
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. race — humankind
  23. root — of a plant
  24. club — a group

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