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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: swing · court · stem · pit · root · roll · row · spell

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. stem — to come from
  3. roll — a cake
  4. swing — music
  5. spell — magic
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. row — a line
  8. spell — letters
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. row — to paddle
  12. root — of a plant
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. spell — a short time
  18. court — of law
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. court — for sport
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pit — in a race
  23. court — of a king
  24. roll — a list

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