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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: tear · season · staff · shower · board · cue · swing · stick

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. board — to get on
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. tear — from crying
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tear — from crying
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. swing — music
  11. cue — a hint
  12. staff — employees
  13. cue — for pool
  14. board — a committee
  15. staff — employees
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. shower — rain
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. tear — to rip
  20. swing — to play on
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. cue — a signal
  23. season — in sport
  24. swing — in golf

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