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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. swing — in golf
  3. file — a tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. file — a line of people
  7. land — a country
  8. swing — music
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rash — hasty
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. scale — in music
  17. file — a document
  18. rash — a series
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. saw — the tool
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. land — ground
  23. lash — to lash out
  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