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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: root · spring · deal · swing · field · drill · cabinet · wake

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. drill — a practice
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. deal — to handle
  7. root — of a word
  8. spring — the season
  9. drill — army training
  10. swing — in golf
  11. field — farmland
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. drill — the tool
  15. field — for sport
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. root — of a plant
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. root — the cause
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. swing — music

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