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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: rest · wound · rush · present · lean · rule · club · swing

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. swing — to play on
  3. present — a gift
  4. club — a group
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rule — a law
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wound — an injury
  11. present — there
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rule — government
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. club — for golf
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — to bend
  22. present — the time now
  23. lean — thin
  24. rule — to rule out

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