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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: wind · bat · swing · lie · dip · cap · stem · rock

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bat — the animal
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cap — of ice
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stem — to come from
  20. swing — music
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. swing — to play on

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