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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: mug · mate · season · wind · perch · wave · swing · tear

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. swing — music
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mate — a partner
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wind — moving air
  11. perch — the fish
  12. swing — in golf
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mug — a face
  19. season — in sport
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wave — of the sea

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