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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 120 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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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 · chest · cabinet · suit · root · present · hide · tear

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  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. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. swing — to play on
  5. root — of a plant
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. root — of a word
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. suit — in cards
  14. present — there
  15. chest — a box
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. root — the cause
  19. present — the time now
  20. swing — music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tear — to rip
  23. present — a gift
  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