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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · wound · hide · racket · spring · fall

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. spring — of water
  3. wound — an injury
  4. spring — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wound — an injury
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fall — the season
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. swing — music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spring — a coil
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. racket — a loud noise

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