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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: cabinet · toast · field · root · bound · rush · wound · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. root — of a word
  3. field — for sport
  4. rush — hurry
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. root — the cause
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. swing — in golf
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bound — tied together
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. toast — bread
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bound — certain
  24. swing — to play on

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