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

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wake — a trail
  5. charge — electricity
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. lean — thin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. swing — in golf
  14. charge — in control
  15. lean — to bend
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bank — for money
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bank — for money
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. charge — a price
  24. bank — of a river

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