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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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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 · saw · shower · rock · bay · clip · swing · rush

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. swing — in golf
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. shower — rain
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. clip — a video
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rush — hurry
  23. saw — the tool
  24. swing — music

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