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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. object — an aim
  3. file — a line of people
  4. swing — in golf
  5. field — a subject
  6. swing — music
  7. club — for golf
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a document
  11. field — for sport
  12. club — for dancing
  13. spring — a coil
  14. object — a thing
  15. swing — to play on
  16. spring — the season
  17. bass — the fish
  18. object — to protest
  19. club — a group
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. bass — low music
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. field — farmland

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