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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: swing · land · current · chair · sharp · suit · root · saw

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. swing — to play on
  3. root — of a plant
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. land — to come down
  7. suit — to fit
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — ground
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — clothes
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. chair — a leader
  16. saw — the tool
  17. swing — in golf
  18. current — happening now
  19. sharp — clever
  20. current — electric
  21. land — a country
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. swing — music
  24. sharp — exactly

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