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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
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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: swing · jam · kid · stem · drill · wound · spring · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. mug — a face
  4. wound — an injury
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — to play on
  7. drill — a practice
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mug — a cup
  14. drill — army training
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. drill — the tool
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. stem — to come from
  21. swing — music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. kid — child
  24. jam — a tight spot

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