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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 116 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: track · hand · stick · swing · bore · cabinet · rush · saw

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. swing — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rush — hurry
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bore — to drill
  15. swing — to play on
  16. track — a path
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. track — to keep track
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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