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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 116 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 · bear · drill · row · ball · rush · root · swing

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. swing — music
  7. drill — army training
  8. ball — a great time
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. root — of a word
  12. pop — soda
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. row — a line
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rush — hurry
  18. row — to paddle
  19. swing — in golf
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bear — the animal
  22. root — of a plant
  23. swing — to play on
  24. root — the cause

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