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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: swing · tube · wake · craft · club · tear · kid · rest

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rest — what's left
  4. craft — a skill
  5. club — for golf
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rest — a break
  8. kid — child
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tear — to rip
  11. kid — to tease
  12. club — for dancing
  13. tear — from crying
  14. craft — boats
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. club — a group
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. tube — a container
  19. tear — from crying
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rest — what's left
  23. swing — in golf
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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