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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: leaves · field · mug · fan · swing · tear · arm · nail

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. tear — to rip
  7. mug — to rob
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tear — from crying
  11. swing — in golf
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mug — a face
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. field — farmland
  21. mug — a cup
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. swing — to play on
  24. tear — from crying

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