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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spring — a coil
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rash — a series
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. spring — of water
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. swing — to play on
  14. spring — the season
  15. swing — in golf
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. swing — music
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. march — the month
  21. plane — a tool
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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