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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: roll · spell · chest · staff · club · fine · row · field

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chest — of your body
  4. fine — high quality
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. field — a subject
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. club — for golf
  12. chest — of your body
  13. row — a line
  14. chest — a box
  15. roll — a list
  16. field — farmland
  17. staff — employees
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. staff — employees
  20. roll — a cake
  21. field — for sport
  22. fine — all right
  23. spell — letters
  24. row — to paddle

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