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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: bore · scale · foot · swing · pop · patient · spring · rush

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. foot — a measure
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pop — soda
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. swing — to play on
  8. spring — of water
  9. pop — music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. swing — in golf
  14. spring — the season
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pop — to visit
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — a coil
  20. scale — in music
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. swing — music

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