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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: trunk · season · swing · saw · drill · racket · bear · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. drill — army training
  3. swing — in golf
  4. drill — a practice
  5. swing — to play on
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. field — a subject
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. field — for sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. swing — music
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. season — of the year
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. drill — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — in sport
  24. trunk — of a car

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