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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 · root · squash · band · court · fork · patient · chair

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. swing — in golf
  3. squash — to crush
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. court — of a king
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. squash — the sport
  9. swing — to play on
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. root — of a plant
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. band — a ring
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. swing — music
  16. band — a music group
  17. fork — in a road
  18. court — of law
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. root — of a word
  21. court — for sport
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — a professorship

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