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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: swing · spring · plane · fan · mug · face · pop · stand

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. mug — a face
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pop — music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. swing — to play on
  9. face — to point toward
  10. swing — in golf
  11. spring — a coil
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pop — to visit
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. swing — music
  18. spring — the season
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. spring — of water
  22. stand — to bear
  23. face — to confront
  24. mug — a cup

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