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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tube · spell · pop · land · root · hand · mark

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. pop — music
  2. root — of a plant
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. swing — music
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pop — soda
  7. swing — to play on
  8. land — to come down
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. tube — the underground
  12. root — of a word
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. root — the cause
  16. hand — help
  17. land — ground
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. hand — in cards
  21. spell — magic
  22. land — a country
  23. pop — to visit
  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