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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: lie · object · cabinet · can · saw · swing · net · spring

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. swing — in golf
  3. spring — the season
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. can — to be able to
  6. saw — the tool
  7. swing — music
  8. object — to protest
  9. can — a tin
  10. swing — to play on
  11. net — after costs
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lie — to recline
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. net — in sport
  17. object — a thing
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. net — for catching
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. can — a tin
  24. spring — of water

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