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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: lash · dip · board · hide · field · mine · swing · fall

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. swing — to play on
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — for digging
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. dip — to sink
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. swing — music
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. field — for sport
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. field — farmland
  23. board — to get on
  24. swing — in golf

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