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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: bound · leaves · root · perch · swing · race · coach · shower

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bound — obliged
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bound — certain
  7. root — of a word
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. swing — to play on
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. shower — rain
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. race — a contest
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. swing — in golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. swing — music
  24. bound — tied together

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