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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. club — a group
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spring — of water
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. lean — to bend
  8. file — a document
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. file — a line of people
  11. swing — music
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. file — a tool
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. swing — in golf
  17. lean — thin
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. content — happy
  20. club — for golf
  21. spring — the season
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. club — for dancing
  24. content — the amount

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