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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: band · sharp · swing · roll · chair · patient · root · hand

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. hand — in cards
  3. chair — a leader
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. swing — music
  6. sharp — clever
  7. root — the cause
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. swing — in golf
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. root — of a plant
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. swing — to play on
  16. band — a music group
  17. roll — a cake
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. band — a ring
  24. roll — a list

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