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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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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: snap · row · cabinet · swing · band · rush · cell · stand

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. snap — to click
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. row — a line
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. band — a music group
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stand — to bear
  11. row — to paddle
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. cell — in biology
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rush — hurry
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. swing — to play on
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. cell — a phone
  24. band — a ring

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