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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: field · safe · bulb · swing · hide · lie · snap · lash

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lie — to recline
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. swing — music
  7. field — a subject
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bulb — for light
  10. field — farmland
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. field — for sport
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. swing — in golf
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. snap — to click
  24. hide — to keep secret

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