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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 120 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: wind · snap · calf · lean · club · swing · leaves · season

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. swing — in golf
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. club — for dancing
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. wind — moving air
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. club — for golf
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. lean — thin
  18. swing — to play on
  19. lean — to bend
  20. club — a group
  21. season — of the year
  22. swing — music
  23. season — in sport
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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