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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. spring — of water
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. tear — from crying
  8. file — a tool
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. suit — in cards
  15. spring — a coil
  16. suit — clothes
  17. spring — the season
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. swing — music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wake — a trail
  23. suit — to fit
  24. tear — to rip

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