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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: tear · drill · field · chair · wave · swing · suit · object

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. object — to protest
  3. field — for sport
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. drill — a practice
  6. object — an aim
  7. drill — the tool
  8. suit — clothes
  9. swing — music
  10. drill — army training
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chair — a leader
  15. suit — in cards
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. object — a thing
  18. swing — to play on
  19. field — farmland
  20. suit — to fit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. swing — in golf
  24. field — a subject

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