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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · jam · leaves · last · pit · drill · calf · swing

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. drill — a practice
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. last — final
  5. drill — the tool
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. last — finally
  9. pit — in a race
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. drill — army training
  20. swing — music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pit — a hole

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