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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. swing — to play on
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. field — farmland
  11. wind — moving air
  12. swing — music
  13. field — a subject
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. field — for sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. swing — in golf
  24. dip — to sink

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