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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 · bear · track · cell · spring · deal · swing · wound

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. track — a path
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. spring — of water
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lie — to recline
  10. track — a song
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. spring — a coil
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bear — the animal
  17. swing — in golf
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. cell — in biology
  20. spring — the season
  21. swing — music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. deal — an agreement

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