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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: wind · club · cap · squash · board · date · root · pitcher

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. date — the fruit
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. root — of a plant
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wind — moving air
  8. board — to get on
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. board — a committee
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cap — a lid
  14. root — of a word
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. club — for dancing
  19. root — the cause
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — of ice
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. club — a group

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