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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. swing — music
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mine — for digging
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. file — a tool
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. file — a document
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. suit — to fit
  24. suit — in cards

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