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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: game · kid · swing · fan · cabinet · firm · foot · stem

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. kid — to tease
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. swing — in golf
  15. firm — steady
  16. swing — music
  17. firm — decided
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stem — to come from
  21. firm — a company
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. kid — child
  24. fan — to cool the air

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