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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: rush · swing · wave · scale · rock · mine · root · dip

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. swing — in golf
  3. rock — music
  4. root — of a word
  5. swing — music
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rock — a stone
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. root — the cause
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. scale — size or range
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. scale — in music
  23. dip — to sink
  24. root — 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