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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 116 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: hand · swing · pop · safe · season · rash · fan · branch

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. pop — music
  5. hand — in cards
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. rash — a series
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rash — hasty
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. swing — music
  15. season — of the year
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pop — to visit
  19. season — in sport
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pop — soda
  22. branch — a division
  23. swing — in golf
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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