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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: row · can · spring · hand · craft · swing · bat · face

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. hand — help
  4. swing — in golf
  5. can — to be able to
  6. face — to point toward
  7. swing — music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bat — the animal
  11. craft — boats
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. row — a line
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. can — a tin
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. face — part of the head
  20. spring — of water
  21. can — a tin
  22. face — to confront
  23. swing — to play on
  24. craft — a handicraft

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