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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: spring · plane · swing · lie · court · key · bear · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — of water
  4. court — for sport
  5. swing — to play on
  6. court — of law
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. key — in music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spring — the season
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. key — the most important part
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. swing — music
  20. court — of a king
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. plane — a tool
  23. key — for a lock
  24. plane — in geometry

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