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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
468
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: tear · mark · season · board · swing · wound · fan · row

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. season — of the year
  3. row — to paddle
  4. swing — to play on
  5. season — in sport
  6. row — a line
  7. mark — a grade
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. tear — from crying
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. board — to get on
  18. wound — an injury
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. tear — to rip
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fan — a supporter

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