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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: rush · bay · lean · mine · object · content · pound · swing

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rush — hurry
  3. swing — in golf
  4. object — a thing
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. swing — to play on
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mine — for digging
  10. content — the amount
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. swing — music
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. object — to protest
  20. content — happy
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. object — an aim
  23. lean — thin
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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