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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
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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: fall · spring · pitcher · pop · date · key · wax · swing

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. spring — of water
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pop — soda
  6. key — in music
  7. spring — the season
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. swing — to play on
  12. key — for a lock
  13. fall — to drop
  14. date — the fruit
  15. swing — in golf
  16. spring — a coil
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. swing — music
  19. pop — music
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wax — for sculpting

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