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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: club · roll · swing · fork · lie · lash · stem · row

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. swing — in golf
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. roll — a list
  5. swing — music
  6. roll — a cake
  7. club — for golf
  8. stem — to come from
  9. club — a group
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. row — a line
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. swing — to play on
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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