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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. court — of a king
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. court — of law
  6. spring — a coil
  7. swing — in golf
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. spring — the season
  15. court — for sport
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rush — hurry
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. spring — of water
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ruler — for measuring

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