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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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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 · field · kick · stand · foot · present · cell · branch

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cell — a phone
  3. swing — to play on
  4. present — the time now
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cell — in biology
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. foot — a measure
  10. branch — a division
  11. present — a gift
  12. present — there
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stand — to bear
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. kick — in football
  17. field — a subject
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. field — farmland
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. cell — in a prison

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