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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. swing — music
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. swing — in golf
  7. row — a line
  8. net — after costs
  9. bark — to shout
  10. row — to paddle
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. spring — the season
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. season — in sport
  18. spring — of water
  19. vault — a safe
  20. net — for catching
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. net — in sport
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bark — of a tree

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