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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: field · fan · ruler · saw · wound · spring · swing · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. spring — of water
  3. swing — in golf
  4. field — farmland
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spring — the season
  8. saw — the tool
  9. field — for sport
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. swing — music
  17. field — a subject
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — a coil
  24. swing — to play on

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