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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. swing — music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. present — there
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pit — in a race
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stem — to come from
  15. swing — in golf
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. tear — from crying
  18. present — a gift
  19. pit — a hole
  20. row — a line
  21. bass — the fish
  22. present — the time now
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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