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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: swing · can · spell · hand · present · root · fan · rule

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  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. root — of a word
  2. present — a gift
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. can — a tin
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. present — the time now
  7. swing — to play on
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. present — there
  11. root — of a plant
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. can — a tin
  15. swing — in golf
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. can — to be able to
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. rule — government
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spell — letters
  23. swing — music
  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