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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: swing · wound · field · date · rock · march · fan · lie

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. date — the fruit
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rock — a stone
  6. march — the month
  7. swing — music
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. march — music
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. lie — to recline
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. field — a subject
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wound — an injury
  19. field — for sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. march — the month

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