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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: swing · spring · straw · fan · pass · lie · band · root

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. swing — in golf
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. root — of a word
  7. spring — a coil
  8. band — a ring
  9. root — the cause
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. swing — music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. root — of a plant
  19. band — a music group
  20. swing — to play on
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. band — a rubber band

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