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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. swing — music
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tear — from crying
  8. staff — employees
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. chest — a box
  11. swing — to play on
  12. can — a tin
  13. staff — employees
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. rush — hurry
  16. chest — of your body
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. swing — in golf
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wind — moving air
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. staff — a stick

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