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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: wind · rash · swing · mine · spell · fan · cabinet · vault

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. spell — letters
  5. rash — a series
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. rash — hasty
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wind — moving air
  15. swing — music
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. spell — magic
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. spell — a short time
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. swing — in golf

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