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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: bark · cap · spring · bank · ball · row · rash · swing

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. spring — of water
  3. ball — a great time
  4. spring — the season
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bank — for money
  8. cap — of ice
  9. swing — in golf
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cap — a hat
  13. swing — music
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bark — to shout
  16. spring — a coil
  17. row — a line
  18. bank — for money
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cap — a lid
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ball — a dance

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