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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 · suit · row · squash · trunk · stick · wind · bat

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — clothes
  4. wind — moving air
  5. squash — to crush
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. suit — in cards
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bat — the animal
  12. row — a line
  13. swing — music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. squash — the sport
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. row — to paddle
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bat — for baseball

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