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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 120 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: bound · swing · row · mug · field · fine · wind · pitcher

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — certain
  3. field — for sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fine — all right
  6. wind — moving air
  7. field — farmland
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. mug — a face
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. swing — in golf
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wind — moving air
  16. swing — music
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mug — a cup
  21. field — a subject
  22. fine — high quality
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fine — a penalty

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