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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: rest · bulb · wound · lean · rush · net · swing · wave

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. net — for catching
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rush — hurry
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. swing — to play on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. net — in sport
  14. lean — thin
  15. net — after costs
  16. rest — a break
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. lean — to rest against
  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