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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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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 · season · fall · wake · rule · coach · fork · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. swing — to play on
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. swing — music
  8. wake — a trail
  9. spell — letters
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. season — in sport
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fall — to drop
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — of the year
  18. rule — a law
  19. spell — a short time
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rule — government
  23. fall — the season
  24. swing — in golf

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