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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: tube · date · season · track · game · leaves · shower · swing

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. game — a match
  3. swing — in golf
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. shower — rain
  8. season — in sport
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. shower — to wash
  11. swing — music
  12. track — a path
  13. tube — a container
  14. game — wild animals
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. date — the fruit
  17. season — of the year
  18. swing — to play on
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. track — a song
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. track — to keep track

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