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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. band — a music group
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. swing — in golf
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. swing — music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. plane — a tool
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. spring — of water
  16. mug — a face
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. swing — to play on
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. kick — in football
  23. spring — a coil
  24. band — a ring

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