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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 120 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: fine · swing · spring · sharp · trunk · patient · nail · pop

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pop — music
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pop — soda
  12. fine — all right
  13. pop — to visit
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. swing — music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. sharp — clever
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spring — a coil
  24. nail — for a hammer

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