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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: coach · bulb · wind · net · rush · root · swing · lean

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. net — after costs
  6. root — the cause
  7. lean — thin
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. lean — to bend
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. net — for catching
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. root — of a word
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rush — hurry
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wind — moving air
  20. root — of a plant
  21. swing — music
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bulb — of a plant

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