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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. swing — music
  5. board — a committee
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. lean — to bend
  8. spring — of water
  9. wind — moving air
  10. swing — to play on
  11. board — to get on
  12. rush — hurry
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. swing — in golf
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. lean — thin
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stand — to bear
  24. rush — to hurry

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