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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: fan · swing · cell · cabinet · object · date · wave · saw

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. date — the fruit
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. swing — in golf
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. object — to protest
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. object — an aim
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. object — a thing
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cell — a phone
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. date — on the calendar

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