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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: dip · hand · saw · lean · rock · swing · race · fall

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. swing — to play on
  3. hand — help
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fall — the season
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rock — music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lean — thin
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fall — to drop
  15. dip — to sink
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. swing — music
  19. race — the arms race
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. rock — a stone
  24. saw — the tool

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