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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 124 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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Word bank
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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. shower — to wash
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. swing — to play on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. snap — to click
  15. shower — rain
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — a short time
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wound — an injury
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. wind — moving air

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