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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · pop · mark · arm · hide · bay · spring · swing

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. swing — to play on
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. hand — help
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pop — soda
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mark — a trace
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. pop — music
  17. hand — in cards
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. swing — music
  20. spring — of water
  21. mark — a grade
  22. swing — in golf
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pop — to visit

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