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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · calf · prune · file · saw · clip · swing · dip

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. swing — in golf
  3. clip — to cut
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. field — for sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. file — a tool
  9. swing — music
  10. clip — a video
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. swing — to play on
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. file — a line of people
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. dip — to sink
  18. field — farmland
  19. prune — to trim
  20. file — a document
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. saw — the tool
  23. clip — for paper
  24. prune — to trim

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