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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: fall · mug · current · mate · leaves · mine · wind · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mug — a face
  6. current — happening now
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. fall — to drop
  10. swing — in golf
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. current — of water
  15. mate — a partner
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fall — the season
  19. current — electric
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fall — to drop
  24. leaves — to go away

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