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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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Word bank
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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: pop · lie · hide · club · swing · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pop — to visit
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. swing — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. club — a group
  8. lie — to recline
  9. swing — to play on
  10. club — for golf
  11. pop — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. club — for dancing
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pop — soda
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lie — an untruth

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