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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 120 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: swing · nail · capital · cell · field · fan · tube · dip

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. field — a subject
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. tube — a container
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cell — in biology
  10. dip — to sink
  11. capital — a city
  12. field — for sport
  13. capital — money
  14. swing — to play on
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. field — farmland
  24. fan — to cool the air

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