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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 120 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: coach · saw · rule · swing · chip · spring · squash · leaves

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. swing — in golf
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. chip — for betting
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rule — a law
  11. swing — to play on
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. squash — the sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. swing — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. squash — to crush
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. spring — the season
  22. rule — government
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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