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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 · board · squash · rash · pound · lean · date · calf

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lean — to bend
  4. swing — in golf
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pound — a weight
  10. lean — thin
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. date — the fruit
  16. rash — hasty
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rash — a series
  19. board — to get on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. board — a committee
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. swing — music
  24. pound — to hit hard

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