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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: mine · lean · club · calf · pit · swing · wake · last

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. swing — in golf
  3. club — a group
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. club — for golf
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pit — a hole
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. last — final
  13. pit — in a race
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. lean — to bend
  16. swing — to play on
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. swing — music
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. mine — an explosive

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