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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 116 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: racket · patient · swing · spell · rest · bear · snap · bound

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. spell — letters
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bound — certain
  14. spell — magic
  15. snap — to click
  16. swing — music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bear — the animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — tied together
  24. swing — in golf

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