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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: mine · swing · trunk · squash · band · staff · chest · pass

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. squash — the sport
  5. swing — in golf
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chest — a box
  8. staff — a stick
  9. chest — of your body
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. swing — music
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chest — of your body
  17. band — a music group
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. staff — employees
  21. mine — for digging
  22. band — a ring
  23. staff — employees
  24. swing — to play on

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