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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: spring · sharp · swing · rash · bowl · lean · roll · jam

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. rash — a series
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. lean — thin
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. lean — to bend
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. swing — to play on
  21. roll — a list
  22. spring — of water
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. swing — music

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