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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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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: toast · wind · drill · row · swing · rule · stock · spring

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. swing — in golf
  7. drill — the tool
  8. spring — the season
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rule — government
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. spring — a coil
  14. row — a line
  15. swing — to play on
  16. rule — a law
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. stock — goods
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. spring — of water
  22. drill — army training
  23. wind — moving air
  24. drill — a practice

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