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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 120 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 · trunk · swing · stand · stick · mark · lie · shower

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. shower — rain
  5. lie — to recline
  6. club — a group
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mark — a grade
  13. stand — to bear
  14. club — for dancing
  15. swing — music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. mark — a trace
  23. swing — to play on
  24. lie — an untruth

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