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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 120 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. swing — music
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. board — to get on
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. board — a committee
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wave — of the sea

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