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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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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: swing · net · wave · charge · band · field · snap · stick

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. band — a music group
  3. net — in sport
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. field — farmland
  7. swing — to play on
  8. charge — a price
  9. field — for sport
  10. swing — music
  11. field — a subject
  12. net — for catching
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. net — after costs
  15. band — a ring
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. charge — in control
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. charge — electricity

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