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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 116 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. kick — in football
  3. swing — to play on
  4. band — a ring
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. plane — a tool
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. swing — music
  17. band — a music group
  18. tube — the underground
  19. snap — to click
  20. tube — a container
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. swing — in golf
  24. kick — a thrill

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