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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. field — a subject
  6. spring — of water
  7. band — a music group
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. pound — a weight
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spring — the season
  16. pass — a permit
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bark — to shout
  20. band — a ring
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — to play on

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