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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 116 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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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: row · lie · scale · swing · snap · wave · mug · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. swing — music
  3. field — a subject
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — in music
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mug — a cup
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. field — for sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. swing — to play on
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lie — to recline
  20. row — a line
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mug — a face
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. row — a quarrel

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