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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.

Make a worksheet

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: file · content · tube · swing · wound · date · spring · bowl

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. tube — the underground
  3. spring — of water
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. swing — music
  6. spring — the season
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. file — a document
  12. content — happy
  13. tube — a container
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. date — the fruit
  18. file — a line of people
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. file — a tool
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. content — the amount

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