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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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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: squash · racket · spring · chest · straw · net · bank · swing

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. squash — to crush
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. swing — in golf
  8. squash — the sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bank — for money
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bank — of a river
  17. swing — music
  18. bank — for money
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — of water
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. chest — of your body
  24. racket — for tennis

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