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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: pop · chest · current · key · rash · rock · swing · root

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rash — a series
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pop — music
  7. current — happening now
  8. root — of a plant
  9. chest — of your body
  10. swing — to play on
  11. rash — hasty
  12. root — of a word
  13. swing — music
  14. root — the cause
  15. chest — a box
  16. current — of water
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. key — in music
  19. pop — soda
  20. current — electric
  21. chest — of your body
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — the most important part
  24. rock — a stone

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