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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.

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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 · rest · spring · bark · track · stand · club · content

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. track — a path
  3. spring — of water
  4. swing — to play on
  5. club — a group
  6. spring — the season
  7. rest — a break
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. track — a song
  11. rest — what's left
  12. swing — music
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — to bear
  15. club — for dancing
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. content — happy
  19. club — for golf
  20. content — the amount
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rest — what's left
  24. spring — a coil

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