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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: swing · bound · craft · mug · date · stem · pop · cold

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. swing — in golf
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. date — the fruit
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bound — obliged
  10. cold — not warm
  11. mug — a face
  12. craft — boats
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mug — a cup
  18. swing — music
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bound — certain
  22. pop — soda
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mug — to rob

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