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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. hand — help
  4. present — a gift
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. present — the time now
  9. stem — to come from
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bound — certain
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bound — obliged
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bound — tied together
  19. present — there
  20. swing — to play on
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. perch — the fish
  24. swing — music

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