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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. file — a document
  6. chest — a box
  7. file — a tool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. scale — in music
  10. swing — music
  11. spell — letters
  12. wake — a trail
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spell — magic
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. file — a line of people
  24. scale — size or range

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