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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: swing · straw · lie · hide · wound · bay · bank · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. land — to come down
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bank — for money
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bank — for money
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wound — an injury
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. land — ground

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