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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: lean · mate · wound · swing · cue · wave · toast · field

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. field — for sport
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. lean — thin
  6. swing — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. lean — to bend
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cue — for pool
  15. field — a subject
  16. cue — a hint
  17. field — farmland
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. toast — bread

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