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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 116 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: capital · wake · rule · ground · squash · spring · sharp · swing

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. spring — of water
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. swing — in golf
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. ground — crushed
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rule — a law
  15. swing — to play on
  16. capital — a city
  17. swing — music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ground — a position
  20. rule — government
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. capital — money
  24. wake — before a funeral

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