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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: roll · foot · pop · swing · club · wave · rash · wind

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pop — music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rash — a series
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pop — soda
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. rash — hasty
  12. roll — a list
  13. swing — to play on
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — a group
  18. wind — moving air
  19. swing — music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wind — to turn a key

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