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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 116 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: race · bark · squash · swing · bulb · kick · spring · current

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — music
  3. spring — of water
  4. squash — to crush
  5. kick — in football
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bark — to shout
  8. current — electric
  9. race — humankind
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bulb — for light
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. swing — in golf
  21. squash — the sport
  22. current — of water
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. current — happening now

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