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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: snap · lie · bulb · cap · wound · swing · dip · safe

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. swing — music
  2. swing — to play on
  3. cap — a hat
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bulb — for light
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. dip — to sink
  14. swing — in golf
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. snap — to click
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lie — to recline
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. wound — an injury
  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