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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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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: hide · mine · chair · cap · swing · rock · wave · bear

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. swing — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cap — a lid
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rock — music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. swing — in golf
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cap — of ice

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