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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lean — thin
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. spring — the season
  9. swing — to play on
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. charge — electricity
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. swing — music
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — in control
  23. spring — of water
  24. swing — in golf

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