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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: season · fork · cell · temple · mouse · fan · press · swing

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. swing — music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. season — in sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. press — to push
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. swing — in golf
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. press — newspapers
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cell — a phone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. swing — to play 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