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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: face · row · band · swing · season · kick · wind · stand

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stand — to bear
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. row — a line
  5. face — to confront
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. swing — music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. face — part of the head
  15. kick — in football
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wind — moving air
  18. season — in sport
  19. band — a ring
  20. row — to paddle
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. band — a music group
  23. season — of the year
  24. wind — to turn a key

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