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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: swing · saw · sharp · spell · rest · lean · ruler · row

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. swing — music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. row — a line
  5. rest — a break
  6. spell — magic
  7. lean — to bend
  8. sharp — clever
  9. swing — to play on
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. swing — in golf
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rest — what's left
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. lean — thin
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. row — to paddle
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. lean — to rest against

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