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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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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: hand · club · tear · dip · stock · pass · wave · swing

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. swing — to play on
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. tear — from crying
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. club — a group
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. club — for golf
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. swing — in golf
  16. club — for dancing
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. tear — to rip
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pass — a permit
  24. swing — music

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