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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: swing · foot · lash · sharp · bank · fork · field · can

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. swing — to play on
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bank — for money
  5. field — farmland
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. swing — music
  12. can — a tin
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. swing — in golf
  22. fork — in a road
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — for sport

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