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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: bass · swing · spring · fan · shower · squash · dip · root

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. spring — a coil
  4. dip — to sink
  5. squash — the sport
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. spring — the season
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. root — of a plant
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. spring — of water
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. root — the cause
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bass — the fish
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. bass — low music
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. root — of a word

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