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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: swing · wake · bore · track · rush · lash · chair · chest

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chest — a box
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rush — hurry
  10. track — to keep track
  11. chest — of your body
  12. swing — in golf
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. swing — music
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. swing — to play on
  20. track — a path
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. track — a song

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