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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: swing · scale · spring · lash · bulb · fall · season · field

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. season — of the year
  5. field — for sport
  6. swing — music
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. field — farmland
  10. fall — to drop
  11. season — in sport
  12. swing — to play on
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. spring — the season
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. swing — in golf
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spring — of water
  20. bulb — for light
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fall — the season
  23. field — a subject
  24. scale — in music

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