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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: mine · season · land · swing · wind · field · deal · current

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wind — moving air
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. swing — in golf
  8. season — of the year
  9. deal — to handle
  10. field — farmland
  11. mine — for digging
  12. current — of water
  13. land — ground
  14. season — in sport
  15. swing — music
  16. field — for sport
  17. land — to come down
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. swing — to play on
  22. field — a subject
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. land — a country

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