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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: date · toast · wound · root · chair · rock · row · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. root — of a plant
  6. row — to paddle
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. row — a line
  11. rock — a stone
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. date — the fruit
  17. roll — a list
  18. chair — a leader
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. root — the cause
  22. rock — music
  23. toast — bread
  24. root — of a word

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