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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · season · nail · swing · straw · bear · hand · chest

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. hand — in cards
  3. swing — in golf
  4. row — to paddle
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. swing — to play on
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. season — in sport
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bear — the animal
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. season — of the year
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. row — a line
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. nail — on a finger

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