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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: swing · sharp · field · kick · bound · jam · shower · bank

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. swing — in golf
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — a subject
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. shower — rain
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bound — obliged
  11. field — for sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bank — for money
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bound — tied together
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bound — certain
  23. swing — music
  24. shower — to wash

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