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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 120 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: wound · club · hide · cap · swing · leaves · suit · tear

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wound — an injury
  8. swing — to play on
  9. club — for golf
  10. suit — clothes
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. suit — to fit
  15. swing — in golf
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cap — of ice
  18. tear — from crying
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. swing — music
  21. suit — in cards
  22. cap — a lid
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — lets stay

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