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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 · last · bay · coach · pass · saw · fan · spell

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — a permit
  5. last — to go on
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spell — a short time
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. spring — of water
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. last — finally
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. spell — letters
  23. spring — the season
  24. spell — magic

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