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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. swing — to play on
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. staff — employees
  13. wound — an injury
  14. last — finally
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stem — to come from
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. staff — employees
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — final

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