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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: fork · hide · bear · row · stand · rash · game · swing

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. rash — a series
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bear — the animal
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. swing — to play on
  14. game — a match
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. row — a line
  18. stand — to bear
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fork — in a road
  23. swing — music
  24. stand — for spectators

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