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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. lean — thin
  5. pop — music
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. can — to be able to
  8. swing — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cell — a phone
  12. date — the fruit
  13. can — a tin
  14. pop — soda
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lean — to bend
  21. can — a tin
  22. snap — to click
  23. swing — to play on
  24. lean — to rest against

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