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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 116 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.

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: bear · swing · nail · row · lie · season · cold · wake

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. season — of the year
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bear — the animal
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. swing — in golf
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. row — to paddle
  14. swing — to play on
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cold — not warm
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. season — in sport
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cold — an illness
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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