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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. face — part of the head
  3. prune — to trim
  4. swing — in golf
  5. drill — a practice
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. swing — music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. prune — to trim
  15. face — to confront
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. face — to point toward
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pitch — completely
  22. lean — thin
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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