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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rock — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. spring — the season
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. swing — to play on
  8. spring — of water
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mug — to rob
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mug — a cup
  14. swing — music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rush — hurry
  23. spring — a coil
  24. nail — for a hammer

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