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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. row — to paddle
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. row — a line
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rash — a series
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lean — thin
  18. swing — to play on
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. roll — a list
  21. lean — to bend
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. swing — music
  24. rash — hasty

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