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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: fork · tear · cabinet · swing · wave · bowl · deal · root

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. root — of a word
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. swing — music
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. deal — to handle
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. tear — from crying
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. fork — in a road

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