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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: ground · swing · wake · root · bank · perch · kid · current

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. root — the cause
  3. current — electric
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. root — of a word
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bank — of a river
  8. perch — the fish
  9. current — happening now
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ground — crushed
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. current — of water
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ground — a position
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bank — for money
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. kid — to tease
  24. swing — in golf

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