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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: spell · march · swing · rest · track · stem · game · club

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spell — magic
  4. stem — to come from
  5. swing — music
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rest — what's left
  11. track — to keep track
  12. game — a match
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rest — a break
  15. club — for golf
  16. march — the month
  17. track — a path
  18. march — the month
  19. game — wild animals
  20. club — a group
  21. track — a song
  22. march — music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. spell — letters

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