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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. suit — to fit
  4. tube — a container
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. suit — clothes
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. swing — music
  12. foot — a measure
  13. spring — of water
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stand — to bear
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. suit — in cards
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. swing — in golf

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