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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: object · cabinet · dip · swing · tear · key · squash · wake

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. swing — music
  4. object — to protest
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. swing — in golf
  11. object — a thing
  12. dip — to sink
  13. squash — to crush
  14. tear — to rip
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. object — an aim
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. key — the most important part
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wake — a trail
  24. dip — a sauce

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