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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: wind · spring · game · swing · board · kid · foot · mug

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. swing — music
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. game — wild animals
  5. swing — to play on
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wind — moving air
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. spring — of water
  14. swing — in golf
  15. game — a match
  16. kid — child
  17. mug — a cup
  18. board — a committee
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mug — a face
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. spring — a coil
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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