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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: root · wound · date · bay · mate · swing · cap · rash

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rash — a series
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. root — the cause
  8. swing — music
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cap — a hat
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rash — hasty
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. root — of a word
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. cap — of ice

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