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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: swing · root · squash · bank · game · current · content · last

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. squash — to crush
  4. game — wild animals
  5. last — to go on
  6. bank — for money
  7. swing — music
  8. last — final
  9. root — the cause
  10. content — the amount
  11. last — finally
  12. current — happening now
  13. root — of a word
  14. squash — the sport
  15. content — happy
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bank — of a river
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bank — for money
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. root — of a plant
  24. swing — in golf

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