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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 116 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spring — of water
  5. track — a song
  6. stem — to come from
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lie — to recline
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. swing — to play on
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a path
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. ruler — for measuring

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