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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: spring · drill · bat · swing · mug · rush · firm · wound

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. rush — hurry
  4. firm — steady
  5. swing — music
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mug — to rob
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. drill — a practice
  14. spring — of water
  15. mug — a face
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. firm — a company
  23. spring — the season
  24. firm — decided

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