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

Word bank: rock · swing · kick · bowl · rest · trunk · field · can

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. can — to be able to
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. can — a tin
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rest — what's left
  9. can — a tin
  10. swing — to play on
  11. field — farmland
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. rock — music
  14. rest — a break
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rock — a stone
  18. field — for sport
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rest — what's left
  23. field — a subject
  24. kick — in football

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