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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: cue · land · staff · wound · cabinet · saw · spell · swing

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. cue — for pool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. saw — the tool
  7. staff — employees
  8. cue — a signal
  9. swing — to play on
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. staff — employees
  14. spell — letters
  15. land — ground
  16. staff — a stick
  17. land — to come down
  18. swing — music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. land — a country
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cue — a hint
  23. saw — the tool
  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