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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: swing · cap · pitcher · content · hide · race · root · wound

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. root — of a plant
  5. swing — in golf
  6. root — the cause
  7. wound — an injury
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cap — of ice
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. race — humankind
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cap — a hat
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. race — a contest
  18. swing — music
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. race — the arms race
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. content — happy
  24. cap — a lid

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