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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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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 · wave · staff · cell · lash · court · field · swing

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. field — farmland
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — to tire
  7. court — of law
  8. swing — music
  9. staff — a stick
  10. swing — to play on
  11. field — for sport
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cell — in biology
  15. swing — in golf
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — a subject
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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