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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mouse · swing · stock · degree · drill · mine · wind · spring

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. drill — army training
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. degree — from a university
  5. spring — of water
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — temperature
  10. mine — for digging
  11. stock — shares
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wind — moving air
  18. swing — to play on
  19. stock — goods
  20. drill — the tool
  21. swing — music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. wind — moving air

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