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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: swing · chest · tear · patient · scale · lash

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. swing — to play on
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. tear — from crying
  13. scale — in music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chest — of your body
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. tear — to rip

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