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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 116 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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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: wave · swing · kick · field · stick · bass · wake · fan

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. swing — music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. field — farmland
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bass — low music
  11. kick — in football
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. field — a subject
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bass — the fish
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. field — for sport
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. kick — with a leg

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