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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 116 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: key · spell · present · hand · spring · rock · rash · swing

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. spring — a coil
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. present — the time now
  6. swing — to play on
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. present — there
  10. spell — a short time
  11. key — for a lock
  12. rock — music
  13. rash — a series
  14. key — in music
  15. spring — of water
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rock — a stone
  18. hand — in cards
  19. spell — magic
  20. spring — the season
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. present — a gift
  23. hand — help
  24. spell — letters

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