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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: wake · charge · hand · coach · wave · field · swing · lean

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. field — farmland
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. swing — to play on
  5. hand — help
  6. field — for sport
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. charge — in control
  10. field — a subject
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lean — to bend
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — in cards
  16. swing — in golf
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lean — thin
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. charge — a price
  23. swing — music
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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