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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: fan · rest · spring · present · march · tube · drill · pitch

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. rest — what's left
  3. spring — the season
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spring — of water
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. march — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. tube — the underground
  11. present — there
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. present — a gift
  15. march — the month
  16. pitch — completely
  17. present — the time now
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. drill — army training
  21. march — the month
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rest — a break

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