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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: wound · can · deal · lean · hide · kid · saw · swing

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. lean — thin
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. can — a tin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. saw — the tool
  14. kid — child
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. kid — to tease
  18. can — a tin
  19. wound — an injury
  20. swing — to play on
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. swing — in golf
  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