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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: game · chip · swing · present · tube · temple · spring · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. spring — the season
  3. can — a tin
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. tube — the underground
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. spring — of water
  8. game — wild animals
  9. chip — to eat
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. swing — to play on
  14. can — a tin
  15. tube — a container
  16. swing — in golf
  17. game — a match
  18. spring — a coil
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. present — there
  22. chip — for betting
  23. swing — music
  24. game — a kind of play

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