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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: leaves · game · mine · dip · march · swing · wound · suit

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mine — for digging
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. march — the month
  7. swing — to play on
  8. suit — in cards
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. suit — clothes
  13. march — the month
  14. swing — music
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. suit — to fit
  18. wound — an injury
  19. swing — in golf
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. march — music
  23. game — a match
  24. dip — a sauce

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