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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. foot — a measure
  3. spring — a coil
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. spring — the season
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spring — of water
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bass — low music
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. snap — to click
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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