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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: wound · cue · rush · swing · row · can · root · wake

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. can — a tin
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cue — a signal
  5. swing — music
  6. wake — a trail
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. can — to be able to
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. root — the cause
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wound — an injury
  16. row — a line
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wound — an injury
  20. root — of a plant
  21. can — a tin
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. row — to paddle

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