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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · swing · rash · patient · ball · game · bowl · bear

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rash — a series
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. game — a match
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. swing — music
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. swing — in golf
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. spring — of water
  20. ball — a great time
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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