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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. can — a tin
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. rule — a law
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. track — a song
  15. bark — to shout
  16. spring — the season
  17. track — a path
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. can — a tin
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. swing — in golf
  22. spring — of water
  23. track — to keep track
  24. rule — government

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