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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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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: rash · lie · swing · wave · mine · stick · jam · tear

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. swing — to play on
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mine — for digging
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. tear — to rip
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. swing — music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rash — a series

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