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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: stick · swing · chip · dip · wake · shower · spring · fine

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — to eat
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wake — a trail
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fine — all right
  15. swing — to play on
  16. shower — rain
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spring — of water
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. swing — music
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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