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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: present · swing · mine · stick · track · shower · rest · fan

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. swing — to play on
  3. track — a song
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. present — the time now
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. track — a path
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. shower — rain
  19. rest — a break
  20. swing — music
  21. present — a gift
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. present — there

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