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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bank — of a river
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rock — a stone
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rock — music
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bank — for money
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. season — of the year
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bank — for money
  22. band — a ring
  23. swing — music
  24. season — in sport

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