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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: roll · spring · fork · rock · arm · bank · cold · swing

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bank — of a river
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. roll — a list
  8. spring — of water
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bank — for money
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rock — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rock — a stone
  16. swing — to play on
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cold — not warm
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bank — for money
  24. fork — in a road

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