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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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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: clip · bass · foot · row · straw · spell · root · swing

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. foot — a measure
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a plant
  5. swing — in golf
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bass — the fish
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. spell — letters
  11. root — of a word
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — a video
  16. row — a line
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. spell — magic
  19. clip — to cut
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bass — low music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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