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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 · present · rule · rash · root · stock · can · saw

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. present — a gift
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stock — goods
  6. rule — a law
  7. root — the cause
  8. saw — the tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. present — there
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. rule — government
  13. can — a tin
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rash — a series
  16. root — of a word
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. swing — in golf
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stock — shares
  21. swing — music
  22. rash — hasty
  23. swing — to play on
  24. present — the time now

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