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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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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. swing — in golf
  5. branch — a division
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. swing — music
  8. object — to protest
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wind — moving air
  11. current — electric
  12. field — a subject
  13. object — a thing
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. current — of water
  16. current — happening now
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. field — for sport
  19. object — an aim
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. swing — to play on

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