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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  3. swing — music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. row — a line
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. row — to paddle
  10. spring — a coil
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hand — help
  13. spring — of water
  14. swing — to play on
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spring — the season
  18. swing — in golf
  19. hand — in cards
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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