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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: hand · rest · spring · wound · swing · cap · hide · pop

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cap — a hat
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. cap — a lid
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. spring — a coil
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pop — soda
  15. spring — of water
  16. pop — music
  17. spring — the season
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rest — a break
  23. swing — music
  24. wound — an injury

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