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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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Word bank
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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: root · cabinet · swing · club · bark · prune · game · rush

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. root — of a plant
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. prune — to trim
  5. swing — in golf
  6. root — of a word
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. swing — music
  11. club — for golf
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. swing — to play on
  18. game — a match
  19. root — the cause
  20. club — a group
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bark — to shout

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