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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: shower · spell · press · swing · kick · lash · bound · game

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. bound — tied together
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bound — certain
  7. swing — to play on
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. shower — rain
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. game — wild animals
  13. spell — letters
  14. kick — in football
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bound — obliged
  17. press — to push
  18. spell — magic
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. game — a match
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. shower — to wash

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