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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 120 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. spring — of water
  5. race — the arms race
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. saw — the tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. swing — in golf
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bulb — for light

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