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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. swing — in golf
  3. tear — to rip
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. root — of a plant
  9. swing — music
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. root — of a word
  15. last — to go on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. root — the cause
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. last — finally
  21. tear — from crying
  22. swing — to play on
  23. snap — to click
  24. leaves — to go away

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