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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: dip · band · spring · rest · hide · fan · chest · fork

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rest — what's left
  4. dip — to sink
  5. rest — what's left
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. band — a music group
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fork — in a road
  21. band — a ring
  22. rest — a break
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. band — a rubber band

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