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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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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: spring · bay · sharp · foot · track · band · firm · swing

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. band — a music group
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. spring — the season
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. swing — to play on
  8. band — a ring
  9. firm — steady
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. track — to keep track
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. spring — of water
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. spring — a coil
  19. track — a path
  20. swing — in golf
  21. firm — a company
  22. track — a song
  23. firm — decided
  24. swing — music

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