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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: press · bulb · cell · track · swing · row · root · date

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. root — of a word
  5. track — to keep track
  6. swing — to play on
  7. press — newspapers
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. root — of a plant
  13. row — a line
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cell — in biology
  16. swing — music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. press — to push
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. root — the cause
  23. bulb — for light
  24. row — to paddle

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