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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. spring — of water
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spell — a short time
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. swing — to play on
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bound — obliged
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spring — the season
  18. spell — magic
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spell — letters
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. swing — music
  24. bound — certain

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