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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: lean · march · swing · cabinet · field · key · rash · plane

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. field — farmland
  3. key — the most important part
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. lean — thin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. plane — a tool
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. march — the month
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. key — in music
  19. rash — a series
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. swing — music

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