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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.

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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: wound · field · swing · saw · season · wax · ruler · hand

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. season — of the year
  3. swing — to play on
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. swing — music
  6. season — in sport
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. field — for sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wax — to grow
  18. field — a subject
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. field — farmland
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hand — help
  24. wax — in the ear

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