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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: root · band · season · swing · last · fan · mate · rock

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mate — a friend
  3. season — in sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. band — a music group
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. band — a ring
  8. root — of a plant
  9. rock — a stone
  10. season — of the year
  11. rock — music
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. swing — to play on
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. mate — a partner
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a word
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. swing — music
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. last — to go on

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