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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: staff · swing · season · land · lie · rash · wave · squash

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. land — to come down
  4. staff — employees
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. squash — to crush
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. land — ground
  14. swing — music
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lie — to recline
  17. land — a country
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. season — of the year
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. rash — a series
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. season — in sport

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