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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: mug · board · swing · foot · cabinet · spell · tear · rash

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. tear — from crying
  3. swing — to play on
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rash — a series
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. tear — to rip
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. board — a committee
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. rash — hasty
  13. swing — music
  14. spell — letters
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mug — a face
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. swing — in golf
  19. spell — magic
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mug — a cup

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