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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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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 · cold · racket · spell · bear · stand · arm · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. root — the cause
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. spell — letters
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. root — of a word
  11. cold — not warm
  12. spell — a short time
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spell — magic
  15. stand — to bear
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. swing — music
  24. arm — part of the body

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