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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: season · wind · field · lean · calf · wave · mine · club

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. field — farmland
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lean — thin
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. season — of the year
  10. field — for sport
  11. season — in sport
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wind — moving air
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. field — a subject
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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