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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — a short time
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. lean — thin
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bass — low music
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. swing — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fall — the season
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. lie — to recline
  18. fall — to drop
  19. swing — to play on
  20. field — farmland
  21. lean — to bend
  22. spell — magic
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fall — to drop

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