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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: wind · wake · stick · swing · pit · spring · squash · bulb

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — to crush
  5. swing — in golf
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. spring — the season
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spring — of water
  12. bulb — for light
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wake — a trail
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pit — in a race
  20. squash — the sport
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pit — a hole

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