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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: swing · current · saw · snap · fall · tear · lie · shower

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. swing — to play on
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. current — happening now
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. saw — the tool
  8. swing — in golf
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. snap — to click
  11. shower — to wash
  12. current — electric
  13. tear — from crying
  14. shower — rain
  15. current — of water
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. tear — to rip
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lie — to recline
  23. swing — music
  24. lie — an untruth

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