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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: coach · perch · fine · bore · swing · field · rush · squash

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. fine — all right
  6. field — a subject
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fine — high quality
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bore — to tire
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. field — farmland
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. swing — music
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. field — for sport
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rush — a thrill

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