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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: bay · wind · snap · row · lean · capital · hide · swing

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. swing — in golf
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. swing — music
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — money
  9. swing — to play on
  10. row — a line
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. lean — to bend
  15. capital — a city
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. row — to paddle
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. lean — thin
  22. snap — to click
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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