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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: field · mouse · spell · swing · prune · staff · lean · bore

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lean — thin
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. field — for sport
  8. spell — letters
  9. bore — to tire
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spell — a short time
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. field — a subject
  21. bore — to drill
  22. lean — to bend
  23. swing — music
  24. spell — magic

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