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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: sharp · drill · swing · cabinet · board · spring · bass · field

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. field — a subject
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. sharp — clever
  6. swing — to play on
  7. board — a committee
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. swing — music
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. drill — the tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. field — for sport
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. board — to get on
  19. field — farmland
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. drill — army training
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — exactly

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