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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: root · arm · wind · cold · pitch · board · pound · swing

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. swing — to play on
  4. board — to get on
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. cold — not warm
  12. swing — in golf
  13. board — a committee
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. root — of a word
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wind — moving air
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. root — the cause
  23. swing — music
  24. pound — a weight

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