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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: mark · swing · season · chip · rule · lash · band · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mark — a grade
  6. spring — the season
  7. mark — a trace
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. swing — to play on
  11. chip — to eat
  12. season — of the year
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. band — a music group
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. swing — music
  19. band — a ring
  20. season — in sport
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. swing — in golf
  23. rule — government
  24. spring — a coil

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