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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: chair · swing · calf · rash · net · bear · bulb · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. swing — in golf
  6. net — in sport
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. swing — music
  13. net — for catching
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chair — a leader
  17. spring — a coil
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. swing — to play on
  21. net — after costs
  22. spring — of water
  23. rash — a series
  24. bulb — for light

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