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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: hide · swing · current · bark · cell · spring · lie · stand

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bark — to shout
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — of water
  6. swing — music
  7. current — of water
  8. lie — to recline
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — the season
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. spring — a coil
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. swing — to play on
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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