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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: kid · swing · spring · root · lean · row · field · suit

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. root — the cause
  4. swing — music
  5. suit — to fit
  6. spring — the season
  7. kid — child
  8. row — a line
  9. field — farmland
  10. root — of a plant
  11. suit — in cards
  12. root — of a word
  13. spring — of water
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. suit — clothes
  16. swing — to play on
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. spring — a coil
  24. swing — in golf

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