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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 124 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: tear · swing · lean · patient · straw · bowl

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. swing — to play on
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. swing — music
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. tear — from crying
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. tear — from crying

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