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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 116 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
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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: land · hide · squash · bat · tear · scale · swing · current

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. current — of water
  5. squash — the sport
  6. land — a country
  7. swing — music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. scale — size or range
  12. tear — from crying
  13. scale — in music
  14. bat — the animal
  15. squash — to crush
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. current — happening now
  19. tear — from crying
  20. swing — in golf
  21. current — electric
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bat — for baseball

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