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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spring — of water
  4. staff — employees
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mate — to breed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. staff — a stick
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ground — a position
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. spring — the season
  15. staff — employees
  16. bank — for money
  17. spring — a coil
  18. swing — in golf
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. date — the fruit

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