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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wind — moving air
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. swing — music
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cap — of ice
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. swing — to play on
  16. cap — a lid
  17. can — a tin
  18. cap — a hat

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