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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: lie · wave · dip · stock · swing · chest · wind · squash

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stock — shares
  4. wind — moving air
  5. swing — to play on
  6. squash — the sport
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stock — goods
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. swing — music
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wind — moving air
  17. squash — to crush
  18. lie — to recline
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. chest — a box
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. swing — in golf
  24. stock — a soup base

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