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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: branch · field · bore · lash · plane · cold · swing · pit

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. field — for sport
  4. bore — to drill
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. field — a subject
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. field — farmland
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pit — a hole
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. swing — music
  17. pit — in a race
  18. branch — a division
  19. bore — to tire
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. plane — in geometry

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