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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 116 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: bore · swing · club · root · field · cabinet · wave · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. field — farmland
  3. swing — to play on
  4. root — of a word
  5. swing — music
  6. root — the cause
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. content — happy
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. club — for golf
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bore — to drill
  16. club — for dancing
  17. swing — in golf
  18. field — for sport
  19. content — the amount
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. club — a group
  22. field — a subject
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wave — of the sea

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