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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.

Make a worksheet

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: current · hide · rock · leaves · swing · prune · wound · lash

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wound — an injury
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. wound — an injury
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. swing — music
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. current — electric
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. current — of water
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. swing — to play on
  19. current — happening now
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rock — a stone
  22. swing — in golf
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. leaves — of a tree

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