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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 · rock · date · stem · swing · last · ball · sharp

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. swing — in golf
  3. last — finally
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. ball — a great time
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stem — to come from
  10. swing — music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rock — music
  13. last — to go on
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. last — final
  16. spring — of water
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rock — a stone
  20. swing — to play on
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. spring — the season

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