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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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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: stand · pop · mark · bound · spring · swing · rash · face

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pop — soda
  3. bound — certain
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. rash — hasty
  7. face — part of the head
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pop — music
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pop — to visit
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mark — a grade
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. spring — the season
  21. swing — to play on
  22. spring — of water
  23. rash — a series
  24. bound — obliged

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