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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: rash · spring · cap · hand · ground · date · firm · swing

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — the fruit
  3. cap — of ice
  4. ground — crushed
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cap — a hat
  9. firm — decided
  10. spring — the season
  11. firm — a company
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rash — hasty
  14. firm — steady
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spring — of water
  18. swing — music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cap — a lid
  23. hand — help
  24. swing — to play on

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