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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · rule · dip · swing · wind · chest

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rule — a law
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rule — government
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. chest — of your body
  10. swing — to play on
  11. chest — a box
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wind — to turn a key

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