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

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. swing — to play on
  3. spring — of water
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. swing — in golf
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. swing — music
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bound — certain
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — a position
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bore — to tire
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. bound — tied together
  24. ground — crushed

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