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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. spring — the season
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stand — to bear
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. swing — music
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. key — for a lock
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. spring — a coil
  15. content — the amount
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spring — of water
  18. key — in music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bound — obliged
  21. key — the most important part
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. content — happy
  24. bound — certain

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