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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. swing — music
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. swing — in golf
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. plane — a tool
  10. last — final
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. last — to go on
  13. swing — to play on
  14. last — finally
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stand — to bear
  17. spell — letters
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. spell — magic
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. spell — a short time

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