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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: file · rule · bear · swing · content · mark · row · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a document
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. content — happy
  7. swing — to play on
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. swing — in golf
  13. rule — government
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. swing — music
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bear — the animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. spring — of water
  20. bear — the animal
  21. file — a tool
  22. rule — a law
  23. mark — a trace
  24. row — a line

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