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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: file · swing · field · charge · fall · spring · rash · row

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. swing — music
  3. charge — a price
  4. fall — to drop
  5. row — to paddle
  6. field — farmland
  7. rash — a series
  8. row — a line
  9. spring — a coil
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. charge — electricity
  13. field — for sport
  14. swing — to play on
  15. fall — to drop
  16. file — a tool
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rash — hasty
  19. spring — of water
  20. field — a subject
  21. spring — the season
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. charge — in control
  24. fall — the season

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