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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 120 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 · wound · board · arm · pitcher · branch · spring · root

  1. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. wound — an injury
  3. root — the cause
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spring — a coil
  6. board — a committee
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wound — an injury
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. branch — a division
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. root — of a word
  17. spring — of water
  18. swing — music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. board — to get on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — the season
  24. arm — a part of something

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