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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: swing · root · board · stand · wax · cap · spring · wake

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stand — to bear
  4. root — of a plant
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. cap — of ice
  8. root — the cause
  9. board — a committee
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. swing — music
  13. spring — of water
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. root — of a word
  16. spring — the season
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spring — a coil
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — a lid
  23. wax — to grow
  24. board — to get on

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