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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: present · spell · field · swing · dip · net · wave · mug

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. swing — to play on
  7. spell — a short time
  8. dip — to sink
  9. field — a subject
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. swing — music
  13. spell — letters
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. mug — a cup
  16. present — there
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a face
  19. net — for catching
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. spell — magic
  23. field — for sport
  24. swing — in golf

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