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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. swing — to play on
  3. spring — of water
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wind — moving air
  8. swing — music
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. tube — a container
  11. wound — an injury
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wound — an injury
  17. swing — in golf
  18. vault — a safe
  19. perch — the fish
  20. spring — a coil
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. perch — for a bird

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