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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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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: pass · spring · mine · rest · swing · staff · wind · toast

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. swing — music
  7. staff — a stick
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pass — a permit
  21. spring — of water
  22. rest — a break
  23. staff — employees
  24. spring — the season

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