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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: charge · field · swing · bay · bound · march · hand · shower

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. hand — help
  3. march — the month
  4. shower — to wash
  5. march — the month
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bound — obliged
  8. hand — in cards
  9. march — music
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. charge — a price
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. field — farmland
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. field — for sport
  16. swing — to play on
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. swing — music
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. shower — rain
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. charge — in control
  24. swing — in golf

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