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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. swing — to play on
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. hand — help
  18. bulb — for light
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. hand — in cards
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. stem — to come from
  23. mine — for digging
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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