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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: kick · staff · straw · shower · swing · spell · drill · root

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. staff — employees
  4. drill — a practice
  5. spell — letters
  6. drill — army training
  7. kick — in football
  8. shower — rain
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. spell — a short time
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. root — of a word
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. root — the cause
  18. drill — the tool
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. swing — to play on
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. root — of a plant
  24. spell — magic

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