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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 116 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: wake · field · cabinet · ruler · straw · cue · swing · leaves

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. swing — music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cue — a hint
  6. swing — to play on
  7. field — farmland
  8. wake — a trail
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. field — for sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. cue — a signal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cue — for pool
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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