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

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. wax — to grow
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. swing — music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. field — farmland
  12. saw — the tool
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. saw — the tool
  20. roll — a cake
  21. cell — in biology
  22. roll — a list
  23. swing — to play on
  24. cell — in a prison

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