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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 · swing · sharp · hand · can · trunk · bowl · land

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. land — to come down
  3. hand — in cards
  4. land — a country
  5. swing — to play on
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. swing — music
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. can — a tin
  12. root — of a word
  13. can — a tin
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. land — ground
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. root — the cause
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. can — to be able to
  23. root — of a plant
  24. trunk — of a car

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