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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 120 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: fork · dip · mate · field · bass · wind · swing · fall

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wind — moving air
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fall — the season
  10. swing — music
  11. dip — to sink
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mate — to breed
  14. swing — to play on
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. field — a subject
  24. fall — to drop

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