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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: swing · fan · root · season · game · rash · wake · cabinet

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. swing — to play on
  4. season — of the year
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. game — a match
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rash — a series
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wake — a trail
  13. rash — hasty
  14. swing — music
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. season — in sport
  17. root — the cause
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. season — to add flavour

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