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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: swing · rock · bear · row · squash · wind · safe · cap

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. squash — to crush
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cap — a lid
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rock — a stone
  13. squash — the sport
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rock — music
  17. swing — music
  18. row — a line
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — a hat
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. row — to paddle

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