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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: swing · saw · fork · wave · land · cabinet · kick · roll

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. swing — in golf
  3. fork — in a road
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. land — ground
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. land — to come down
  10. swing — to play on
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. kick — in football
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. swing — music
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. roll — a list
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. roll — a cake
  22. saw — the tool
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. land — a country

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