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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: swing · bulb · chest · root · fall · nail · chair · last

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. root — of a plant
  3. swing — music
  4. fall — to drop
  5. root — the cause
  6. last — finally
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. swing — in golf
  10. chest — of your body
  11. swing — to play on
  12. root — of a word
  13. last — final
  14. chest — a box
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chest — of your body
  18. last — to go on
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bulb — for light

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