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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: safe · fan · dip · bark · wind · game · swing · row

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. row — a line
  5. game — a match
  6. wind — moving air
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wind — moving air
  9. dip — to sink
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. row — to paddle
  12. swing — to play on
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. game — wild animals
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fan — a supporter

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