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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: present · sharp · swing · tear · fan · wind · jam · stand

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. present — a gift
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. present — the time now
  5. tear — from crying
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. stand — to bear
  12. wind — moving air
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. present — there
  18. swing — music
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wind — moving air
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. fan — to cool the air

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