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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. field — a subject
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. swing — in golf
  6. rash — a series
  7. bank — for money
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. field — for sport
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pop — soda
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. ball — a great time
  19. swing — to play on
  20. perch — the fish
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. swing — music
  23. field — farmland
  24. ball — a dance

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