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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 · bass · safe · file · wind · spell · spring · sharp

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. spring — a coil
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spring — the season
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a document
  11. spell — magic
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. spell — a short time
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. spring — of water
  23. spell — letters
  24. file — a line of people

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