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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.

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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. scale — in music
  4. field — a subject
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. swing — in golf
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. swing — to play on
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pop — music
  15. wind — moving air
  16. field — for sport
  17. scale — size or range
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. swing — music
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. field — farmland
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wind — to turn a key

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