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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: spring · staff · dip · bear · swing · march · craft · nail

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. spring — the season
  7. craft — a skill
  8. dip — to sink
  9. march — the month
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. swing — in golf
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. staff — employees
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. spring — of water
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. craft — boats

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