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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: club · cabinet · land · swing · mug · bore · stem · pound

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. land — a country
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. club — for golf
  9. stem — to come from
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bore — to tire
  12. swing — music
  13. mug — to rob
  14. bore — to drill
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pound — a weight
  17. mug — a face
  18. club — a group
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. club — for dancing
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. cabinet — ministers

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