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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: season · band · rush · swing · toast · dip · club · hand

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. season — of the year
  4. club — a group
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a ring
  7. toast — bread
  8. dip — to sink
  9. club — for dancing
  10. season — in sport
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. swing — to play on
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. swing — music
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rush — hurry
  17. club — for golf
  18. swing — in golf
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. dip — to dunk

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