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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 · spell · bore · chair · staff · roll · season · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. staff — employees
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — to drill
  6. season — of the year
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spell — letters
  10. staff — employees
  11. season — in sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. chair — a leader
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. swing — music
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. staff — a stick
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. swing — to play on
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spell — magic
  22. swing — in golf
  23. roll — a list
  24. trunk — of a car

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