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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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 — in golf
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. face — to point toward
  5. hand — help
  6. stem — to come from
  7. swing — music
  8. spring — of water
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. current — of water
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. spring — the season
  21. rock — a stone
  22. hand — in cards
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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