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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: bass · swing · land · bear · mouse · game · hide · spring

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — to play on
  6. land — a country
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bass — low music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spring — of water
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. spring — the season
  14. swing — music
  15. game — a match
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bear — the animal
  20. land — ground
  21. land — to come down
  22. bass — the fish
  23. game — wild animals
  24. hide — animal skin

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