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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: racket · swing · club · spring · bulb · band · pitch · mark

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. swing — in golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mark — a grade
  7. club — a group
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. swing — to play on
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. swing — music
  15. club — for golf
  16. band — a music group
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bulb — for light
  19. band — a ring
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mark — a trace

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