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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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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 · tear · file · row · swing · leaves · jam · vault

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. tear — to rip
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. swing — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. vault — a safe
  7. swing — in golf
  8. file — a line of people
  9. tear — from crying
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. swing — to play on
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. file — a document
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. root — the cause
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. file — a tool
  20. root — of a word
  21. row — to paddle
  22. root — of a plant
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. jam — in traffic

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