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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: swing · bulb · present · file · season · hand · tear · rock

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. hand — in cards
  3. swing — music
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. swing — in golf
  8. present — there
  9. rock — music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. season — in sport
  18. swing — to play on
  19. present — the time now
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. tear — from crying
  24. present — a gift

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