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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: mine · club · mate · staff · swing · date · root · leaves

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. mine — for digging
  3. swing — to play on
  4. root — of a word
  5. club — for dancing
  6. staff — a stick
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. swing — in golf
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. staff — employees
  11. mate — to breed
  12. swing — music
  13. date — the fruit
  14. mate — a friend
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. root — of a plant
  17. club — for golf
  18. root — the cause
  19. staff — employees
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. leaves — to go away

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