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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: band · swing · fork · season · lash · spell · hide · stem

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. season — of the year
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. swing — in golf
  10. band — a music group
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. season — in sport
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. swing — music
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. stem — to come from
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. band — a ring
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stem — a stem cell

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