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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: rock · patient · snap · racket · spring · face · swing · mouse

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. spring — of water
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rock — a stone
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rock — music
  12. face — part of the head
  13. swing — music
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spring — a coil
  16. face — to confront
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. swing — in golf
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. snap — to click
  23. spring — the season
  24. swing — to play on

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