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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: swing · squash · ball · vault · fall · lean · band · field

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. swing — in golf
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. fall — the season
  5. swing — music
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. swing — to play on
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — a safe
  15. lean — to bend
  16. field — farmland
  17. fall — to drop
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. band — a ring
  21. lean — thin
  22. band — a music group
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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