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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · mark · bear · staff · rash · content · swing · wound

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. swing — music
  3. mark — a trace
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. season — of the year
  8. staff — employees
  9. content — the amount
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bear — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. wound — an injury
  15. season — in sport
  16. content — happy
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. swing — to play on
  19. staff — employees
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wound — an injury
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bear — the animal
  24. season — to add flavour

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