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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 · bowl · bore · spring · mouse · squash · stem · pit

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. swing — music
  4. spring — of water
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. spring — a coil
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pit — a hole
  12. spring — the season
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bore — to drill
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bowl — to roll

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