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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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Word bank
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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: field · cabinet · season · swing · hand · wave · fine · bark

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — help
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fine — high quality
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — to play on
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. season — of the year
  13. fine — all right
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. field — for sport
  16. hand — in cards
  17. swing — music
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bark — to shout
  20. field — a subject
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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