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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. field — a subject
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. swing — music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. field — for sport
  12. board — a committee
  13. bass — the fish
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. scale — in music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. scale — size or range
  19. field — farmland
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. swing — in golf
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. lash — to lash out

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